2021

So 2021 is almost in the books.  My son-in-law likes to say that if something is just mediocre, it's like pumpkin pie.  You know, most people can take or leave pumpkin pie.  It's just not that special.  Now if you're a lover of pumpkin pie, don't get all excited.  I'm talking the population writ large.  And really,  you know it's true.  Think of something that you don't hate or don't love...pumpkin pie.  That was 2021.  Better than 2020 but not the best.  Not by a long shot.  

So what were some of the highlights?  Well, if we're going chronologically it'd be difficult to not choose the insurrection at the Capital on January 6th first.  I mean, we're still talking about it.  Not only are we still talking about it, some are still around the bend about it.  There is a Congressional committee investigating it.  I read a story today about a Congressman with PTSD because of it.  When it happened I wrote a couple of posts laying out my thoughts.  You can read them here and here if you're interested.  Of course, the media as usual has given it a life of it's own.  If you watch MSNBC or CNN it was an event that was equivalent to the Civil War.  If you watch Fox it was an unfortunate protest that got out of hand.  We'll be hearing and reading about it for quite some time and at the end it will just be an event in history.  A terrible, embarrassing, stupid event...but just an event.  If it proves to be the undoing of Trump, then I guess it will have been worth it.  But he's like a bad penny, he just won't go away.  His perseveration on the "rigged election" is nauseating as is the throng of nincompoops he surrounded himself with.  I mean, every legitimate investigation into the election discounted his theories.  Of course, the My Pillow guy thought he was robbed so there is that.  But here's the worst part.  I yearn for different leadership but given the craziness from the other side, I'd probably vote for hime again.  

The January/February timeframe brought us Trump's second impeachment.  Can you believe that?  A President of the United States getting impeached TWICE during his four year term.  Granted that the first impeachment was bullshit and got nowhere, but still.  Many thought his second impeachment was just political theater.  I'm of the opposite views on these two sorrowful events.  I think the first was theater and the second was legitimate.  I know, I know...he didn't actually tell his followers to invade the Capital.  But he put in the kindling, wadded up the paper, piled up the wood, poured gas in the pit and lit the fire.  If you say he didn't CAUSE it...okay.  But he instigated it.  No doubt.  Anyway, I would have voted guilty.  Full stop. Also in January Biden was inaugurated in front of...well...not many folks.  I still have trouble believing that a 78 year old, life long Washington insider was elected.  I just kept thinking, man Bernie must be pissed.  Of course, electing Bernie would have been an epic disaster in itself  But that's another story.  The other thing about the inauguration that was pure bullshit political theater was the armed camp that the Capital became.  It was the classic case of under-reaction followed by over-reaction.  I can't help but think that somehow Nancy thought it would make her look strong.  It didn't.  January also brought widespread availability of vaccines.  I got my first one in late Jan and the second in early March.  Vaccines also brought immediate debate over whether or not to get vaccinated.  That debate has only accelerated with increasing acrimony.  It's like an increasing crescendo of noise.  So many have turned into  experts based on their research on social media.  It's really disturbing.  As for me, I got the jab.  I'm of a certain age where it only made sense.  But I also encouraged anyone in my sphere of influence to get it. Luckily my family is fine.  And that's really what I care about most.  As for the rest of it, I'm an observer.  I really don't understand this idea that people are pissed because the vaccines didn't get rid of COVID.  I guess some people thought that to get the vaccine meant you'd never get COVID.  Why they thought that is perplexing.  I guess some vaccines work that way (think Polio) but some don't.  This one clearly just reduces symptoms and allows people to weather the storm.  But one thing is for sure, the debate rages.

One of the things I like to recite to people when they tell me we have insurmountable problems, that climate change is going to destroy us all, that our country is doomed is that we have a little car driving around on Mars.  If we can do that, we can do anything.  And we did it in February.  When I say we, it was obviously NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab, but it was we.  And it captured the imagination of the world.  Think about the brain power, the scientific thinking, the logistics, the cooperation, and yes...the luck to achieve that amazing feat.  And it's still there sending back photos.  Here's another thing.  If you have some time search on the team that did it.  Check out their backgrounds, their diversity, their common cause, their pride.  February was a good month!  Except for the Super Bowl that is.  Tom Brady and the Buccaneers won it.  Tom is the epitome of a guy who has worn out his welcome.  Don't get me wrong.  He's talented, resilient, cheerful, uniquely successful, and is rich.  Very rich.  And he's married to Gisele.  Like I said, he's worn out his welcome.  And the vaccine debate raged.

Biden got right to work after the inaugural and formulated a humongous COVID rescue package that he signed in March.  It came in to the tune of $1.9 Trillion.  Yes...Trillion.  Can you even conceive of a funding package that large?  Well...Democrats can.  No mention of funding it or what it will do the debt.  And more importantly, no dissecting what's actually in it.  But here's a guarantee because it is a government program.   There is a lot of crap in there that has nothing to do with COVID relief.  And you and I are funding it.  March also saw the first crack in the Cuomo charade.  There emerged allegations of sexual abuse by the obnoxious and corrupt Governor of NY.  He fought it for awhile but it was always a losing battle.  Not sure what he's doing now but it's not abusing the people of NY.  Prince Harry and Meghan sat down for their interview with Oprah in March.  I don't know why anyone cares, or why it's headlines, or why I even mentioned it.  Maybe I'm as stupid as everyone who cares about the royal family.  I just don't know.  I do know they seem like spoiled, thankless, ridiculous, woke idiots.  And I keep thinking...Harry, you poor bastard, what have you done?  Speaking of woke, this seems to be about that time that that term entered our vernacular.  Talk about a snowball rolling downhill!  Think Dr Seuss, Pepe Lepew, Mr Potato Head, our founding fathers, and any statue or school around the country bearing the name of anyone in our history who at one point was admirable.  It would take a long, torturous post to discuss woeness and I'm just not up to it.  It was probably about this time that our Southern border started to make news.  And it hasn't stopped.  The huge dumpster fire that is the Southern border gets sporadic attention, depending on your news source.  But even the liberal sources can't deny the disaster that is happening.  In fact the only person in the country that doesn't see it as a disaster of epic proportions is Biden...and maybe Kamala when she is coherent.  I guess after he appointed Kamala in charge of the border, he thought everything would be okay.  If that doesn't prove his senility I don't know what does.  It's bad and getting worse.  At least under Trump there was some semblance of control.  Not perfect, but not a Niagra Falls flood of people. And it's getting worse.  And the vaccine debate raged on.

One of my favorite stories of the year occurred in April when Major League Baseball announced that because of Georgia's new voting law, they were moving the All Star Game, which is played in July, out of Atlanta.  It was ridiculous sophistry!  And in the most beautiful, sweet irony, the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in October.  And they played the games in Atlanta.  Here's a lesson...keep wokeness the fuck out of sports.  In the least surprising verdict in history, the asshole who killed George Floyd was found guilty in April.  It was April when Biden announced his $2.8 TRILLION infrastructure bill and his $1.9 TRILLION American Families Plan.  You didn't misread...TRILLION.  It's become the new normal.  Later in the year the infrastructure bill would be passed for about $1.8 TRILLION and the American Families Plan was dealt a fatal blow when 50 Republican Senators and one Democrat (and maybe more) opposed it.  Thank God!  Oh yeah...there was still a vaccine debate.

May brought a couple of really interesting sports stories.  Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby in early May and was then disqualified due to drugs.  The horse died later in the year on the track at Santa Anita.  Talk about ill-fated.  Phil Mickelson won the PGA.  Yes, you read that right.  Old Lefty won a major.  It was an inspiring win.  One for the old guys.  During this month was also when the condominium in Miami collapsed.  About 100 people died.  It was a huge story...for about a week.  Nothing since.  May also saw the vaccine debate raging on.

Biden went Europe in June for the G7 Summit, an Atlantic Alliance meeting in Brussels, and a meeting with Putin in Geneva.  Yawn.   I think most hoped this was the beginning of a long, hot, boring Summer.  Or at least we hoped it would be that way.  But no.  COVID had other ideas.  The Delta variant showed up in mid-Summer in a lot of places.  It didn't last long but it wreaked havoc.  It brought a whole new level of concern and confusion within the CDC, NIMH, White House, and every other branch of federal and state government dealing with COVID.  I think this was about the time that they all began to "lose their shit".  The message got muddled, the directions were contradictory and ever changing, and the people just watched in amazement.  Fauci became public enemy number one.  And you'd think if you were in that position, you might try and do something to overcome it.  But he seems to revel in it.  But he did contribute to the vaccine debate...which raged on.

In July a couple of the strangest events of the year occurred.  Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic, both Billionaires launched rockets with humans in space capsules, from Texas and New Mexico and returned safely to earth.  It was surreal.  This is not hard.  It's been done.  I guess that just ordinary folks went make it a big deal.  But here's what I find abominable.  They called themselves Astronauts.  They rode a capsule for about 15 minutes into space and rode down.  And they called themselves Astronauts.  I don't think so.  It's an affront to everyone who's ever been through Astronaut training.  It's just bullshit.  The U.S. sent a team to the delayed Summer Olympics in Tokyo in July.  As always I was mesmerized.  Every four.years I am gobsmacked by the dedicated athletes from all over the world that compete in the Olympics.  They are just so admirable.  The big story was obviously Simone Biles and her withdrawal.  Lots to unpack there, but I really tried to just focus on the performances.  And they were great.  All of them.  A couple of sports really captivated me.  The first was 3-person, half court basketball.  Intense.  The other was team tri-athalons.  Again...intense.  Remember the vaccine debate?   It was still here.

I'm sorry to say that August brought about one of the biggest national humiliations in our history.  It's painful to recall but the unbelievable incompetence and refusal to take responsibility for the epic clusterfuck that was the ill-fated and poorly executed withdrawal (retreat) from Afghanistan is a stain that many (including me) find difficult to comprehend.  I wrote about this sordid experience here and here if you're interested.  And they've all just gone on.  Nothing to see here, please move along.  How they look at themselves in the mirror is beyond me.  It makes me think back to a time when leaders took responsibility for their decisions and failures.  Of course in this area there have always been people who fell short.  But not sure there is a historical parallel to these guys.  Maybe General McClellan?  For those of us here in California, the nightmare of wildfire came roaring at us in August.  The Dixie fire in the Northern part of the state became the biggest fire in state history.  Every year these fires rage, and every year people are outraged about state inaction in forest and range management, and next year there will be more fires.  California, once the "Golden State" has become the most woke and ineptly run government entity in the country.  And that's by any measure.  Governor Newsome is a loathsome dork and you'd think someone would mount a recall effort.  Stay tuned.  The glimmer of good news this month is that other loathsome dork, Cuomo resigned as the Governor of New York.  I guess that's good news anyway.  Not sure it outweighs the damage he did to his state and the painful long denial that everyone knew would result in him slinking away.  And still the vaccine debate was ongoing.  Get them?  Don't get them?  The debate raged on.

Some would say that the biggest thing this year occurred in September and the thing that will reverberate for generations and change the course of history is that Texas enacted the "Heartbeat Act".  This is a law that allows citizens to sue other citizens regarding abortion after the presence of a heartbeat.  The reactions from the pro-life and pro-choice groups was predictable.  Euphoria and Outrage.  Many predict that this issue is heading to the Supreme Court and the Roe v. Wade decision is in jeopardy.  I'm not sure about that.  There are a lot of legal nuances here.  So the best we can say is...only time will tell.  There was this little hurricane (I'm joking...by definition hurricane's are big) that visited the East coast and did a fair amount of damage as far North as New England.  It was weird.  And for some a certain indication of the devastation that climate change is having.  I can't even argue this point anymore.  Whatever.  It was in September that Biden issued his vaccine "mandate" that everyone who worked in a company with over 100 employees must be vaccinated.  Not smart.  Americans and our courts don't do particularly well with government mandates.  And that's an understatement.  That became obvious throughout the rest of the year as court after court overturned the mandates.  It was significant egg on his face.  Out here in California we finally had the recall election.  Not many believed that they could get enough signatures to force the recall, but then they did.  And so the campaigning started in earnest a few weeks before the election.  There were three things in Newsom's favor.  First, it's difficult to unseat an incumbent.  Second, he was running against the Republican primary winner, Larry Elder.  Elder is a talk show host and fervent conservative.  To think this guy could win in California is a pretty big stretch for me.  Third, he ignored Elder and campaigned against the perfect opponent.  Trump.  It was an easy win.  Even though Trump had nothing to do with this election, Newsom proved that campaigning against him is effective.  That may become a model for the future.  September also brought the no kidding final results of the presidential election in Arizona.  So 11 months later and with a massive investment in time and money they figured out...that Biden won.  Arizona was one of the biggest controversial states when it came to election results.  So this should have put the issue to bed.  But did it?  No.  I guess it never ends.  And the My Pillow guy still thinks Trump won!  To round out the month, Britney Spears won her freedom.   I don't even know what else to say...except that the vaccine debate is still raging. 

There wasn't some magic day that it occurred to most people that they were paying more for almost everything, but in October inflation seemed to raise it's ugly head in a big way.  All of a sudden people were feeling the economic pinch.  Gas continued to skyrocket and prices for almost everything rose.  But Biden and his cronies continued to push their legislative agenda that would cost TRILLIONS.  They continued to decry use of fossil fuels and nuclear power.  They did nothing to get people back to work.    October also had the incredibly huge announcement by Facebook that it was changing it's name and the name of all the entities it owns to Meta.  And no one cared, let alone understood it.  October seems to be the big sports time of the year.  The World Series is wrapping up, college football and the NFL are in full throw, and basketball is just around the corner.  With COVID there were lots of ups and downs.  The big game that I remember from this year was the Illinois-Pen State game.  Nine overtimes.  Nine!  Longest game in NCAA history.  And pretty exciting.  Oh yeah...Illinois won.  And in the least surprising news of all, the vaccine debate raged. 

Biden took his second international trip in late October/early November.  First he went to Rome for the "Group of 20" summit.  Russia, China, and Japan weren't there so I'm not sure what they expected to get done.  But it sounds like it was one of those events I used to tell my bosses about when I'd return from some nothing meeting.  "The briefs were well received".  Blah, blah, blah.  Next he went to Glasgow, Scotland and COP-26.  Scotland in November.  Brilliant planning.  This was the big climate conference.  190 nations and 30,000 attendees.  Pontificating on an epic scale.  Wringing of hands.  Gnashing of teeth.  Sweating profusely.  Predicting doom and gloom in the very near future.  Demands to ruin vast sections of the economies of the world.  Equivocation by the biggest polluters.  Capitulation in theory by the United States and other first world countries.  Signing of a watered down Communique that satisfied no one.  And most importantly, agreement to meet again next year for COP-27 in Sharm al-Shiekh, Egypt.  The smart people have already arranged the best tours, the best hotel suites and the finest wines.  Wonder who's paying for all this?  Nevermind. Biden came home to the big legislative success of the Infrastructure Bill being passed and he quickly signed it.  The big action out of this landmark legislation is Secretary Pete started to work on the most pressing need of our time...racist roads.  Hopefully they can be fixed.  Of course, most streets in my area still have pot holes.  But that's a different story.  Probably the biggest story to come along in November was the surprise win of Glenn Youngkin as Governor of Virginia over perpetual political junkie Terry McAuliffe.  This sent shock waves through the political intelligentsia (or is that an oxymoron) and predictions of doom and gloom for the Dems a year from now.  But a year in political life is unlike a year in normal life.  There's probably some dog year correlation.  In any case, as Yogi said, "It's not over till it's over".  So Republicans need to not count their chickens!  This election in an odd way provided an acceleration of the raging debate (we have a lot of them) about Critical Race Theory being taught in schools.  Simply put, a lot of parents are pissed.  And they let it be known to the local school boards.  There are too many stories to recount and wherever you live you've probably seen some of them.  Plus it's probably a post unto itself.  So the jury is still out on where it's going.  Except in many cases it's probably going to court.  In an indication that inflation is being taken seriously by Biden and his crack advisors, he released 50 million barrels of oil from the strategic oil reserves.  Of course that's about 3 days worth of supply and will make absolutely no difference, but in a not so stunning development, Biden and his crack advisors don't know that.  The bit of good news is that all indications are that the holidays were going to return to normal.  That is met with joyous feelings as people started to make plans.  That lasted as long as the time it took to make airline reservations.  Over the holidays the airlines have had epic problems.  Lack of staff because they've fired a bunch of employees is the primary culprit.  It also was the time that a new variant, Omicron emerged.  It came from South Africa and by all accounts it is pretty mild but highly infectious.  And as this is written that is proving to be the case.  A ton of people are catching it but if they are vaccinated the symptoms are either minor or nonexistent.  But there rages a debate about what to do.  And it's linked to the raging vaccine debate which continues and in fact is gaining steam.

December began with the media doing what they do best...stoking mass hysteria.  They started tracking Omicron cases like they track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  Only the headlines were not as nice.  And in much larger font.  Even though reports of Omicron's presence has been verified as being not so bad, the hysteria has built again.  Now I'm not an epidemiologist or an infectious disease expert but I do have some experience with strategy.  It just seems to me that if you're executing a strategy and the strategy isn't working, you might want to think about changing your strategy.  Here's an idea.  Maybe, just maybe Biden and his crack advisors ought to at least listen to those who say we're not going to eradicate the virus and instead need to learn to live with it.  Like the flu.  Promote vaccines, provide testing, make therapeutics widely available, augment hospital capacity when needed, and educate the population.  And prioritize prevention and treatment of the most vulnerable (by now we know who they are) and realize that young and fit people are at minimal danger.  But that's just me.  In other news, Major League Baseball and it's players couldn't come to agreement and the players were locked out.  Hasn't happened since 1990.  And it sucks.  For us fans, it really sucks.  But here's hoping they'll get it resolved before spring training.  It'll probably come down to the wire, but that is the nature of labor negotiations.  Back to COVID, Biden said last week that there is no "federal solution".  Huh?  That may have been the most clueless statement I've heard since March, 2020.  And there have been a lot off clueless statements.  Speaking of Biden, I've noticed some of his media supporters (and there are a lot of them) are starting to quietly and timidly question his...ahem...lucidity.  Ya think?  If you watch Fox you'd think he's a raving lunatic.  If you watch CNN/MSNBC you'd think he might have a few issues.  It's hard to imagine him doing this for three more years.  But it's even harder to imagine President Harris.  Shudder!  One of the things that gives me hope is when I see great achievement.  We saw such a thing on Christmas Day.  The James Webb telescope was launched into space on it's way to a spot about a million miles from earth to explore the cosmos.  If it works, it will be an amazing achievement.  

Luckily, my family were able to have a somewhat normal and joyous holiday.  And I hope the same is true for you.  So to end, what do I think we can we expect in 2022?  Or rather what are some guesses? :)

• Remote work became the norm in 2021.  Expect this to continue and even spread more in 2022.
• I knew that the nature of retail purchases was changing but going to the mall in the Christmas season of 2021 was unlike any I've experienced previously.   The behemoth that is Amazon will only grow.  I find myself thinking first of ordering something from Amazon rather than looking for it at a store.
• COVID has changed our lives.  But as I said above, we've got to change strategy.  I fervently hope that someone can come along who will articulate a rationale strategy to deal with it.  I'm not optimistic and hope is not a strategy, but I can still hope.
• Media has become something it doesn't want to be.  They've lost their way.  The only answer is a new generation that focuses on the craft, not self-promotion.  Don't think it'll happen in 2022, but someday.
• We'll continue our divisions regarding race.  After the George Floyd murder in 2020, I was as ready as anyone to tackle racism.  But it's been corrupted.  And BLM is the chief culprit.  They had a once in a generation chance to make a difference and focused instead on riots and destruction.  No thanks.  Do a little investigating and see what they've done for their community.  You'll be surprised.  Or maybe not.  The only solution is leadership.  The question is will we see it in 2022?
• I think all this wokeness will start to wear thin and eventually die.  Hopefully this will happen before I'm forced to proclaim my pronouns.  Because that ain't ever gonna happen!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dealing with "Worry Porn"

I have discovered Bari Weiss' great newsletter, "Common Sense" in the last several weeks and it is a really...well...common sense and refreshing read.  She is a former writer from The NY Times and has struck out on her own.  You can find it here if interested.

One of the features is a weekly summation of the most important stories that comes out on Fridays.  It is appropriately titled "TGIF".  In this morning's post, a reference was made to the writings of Freddie deBoer and specifically a post titled "Covid Panic is a Site of Inter-Elite Competition".   Of all the things good and bad I've read in the last two years regarding the attitude toward COVID-19, this might be the best.  You can check it out here.  But it's so good I'm going to paste the whole thing here.  If you want the links go to his site.  Check it out.

I got my Covid booster yesterday, along with a flu shot. I’ve always seen flu shots as a bit of a strange ritual - some people get really self-righteous about everyone getting them, despite the fact that they very frequently fail. I can’t really see the harm, though, so I get them. The booster however seemed like a no-brainer to me; I have had Covid, which confers a strong degree of protection, and I received both shots of Pfizer as directed, but the booster was free and looks like it will only cost me a day of being too drained to lift weights or do much work. The vaccines work. And, you know, there’s a pandemic on.

Covid is a serious disease that has killed a lot of people, but it does not kill different people at the same rates. Obviously, one of the greatest risk factors is being unvaccinated. But you’d still rather be a child and unvaccinated than be a 50-year-old and vaccinated if you’re trying to avoid Covid. Nor do different adult populations have the same risk profile. The vast majority of those people who have died of Covid have been elderly, immunocompromised, or ill. Those who have been hospitalized by Covid have also been disproportionately obese, to a startling degree. Covid discriminates, and not just against the unvaccinated. I don’t know why our media has decided that reflecting the plain scientific reality that different people have profoundly different Covid risks should be so taboo, but it’s precisely the sort of thing that causes a loss of trust among the skeptical. In any event, I’m not among the highest risk, or particularly close to it - I’m 40 years old, generally healthy, overweight but not obese, and vaccinated. People like me have died from Covid, but they are a very small minority of the deaths. Most who catch it from my demographic profile experience the disease the way I did in April of 2020: as an unpleasant but entirely manageable fever and mild respiratory illness.

It’s certainly possible that the very unlikely will happen and I’ll catch a breakthrough infection, the infection will be serious, and I will die. That could happen. But I have taken the appropriate cautions through vaccination and masking and am unwilling to surrender any more of my emotional life to the disease than that. Rare and fatal events sometimes occur; that’s life. When you can you mitigate the risk. Death from a car accident is far more likely for me than death from Covid. It’s still rare, but there’s a risk, and putting on a seatbelt is a reasonable mitigation tactic. Simply never getting in a car, though, would not be reasonable. The risk reduction would not outweigh the considerable costs. So I don’t make that bargain. And thus with Covid. I’m vaccinated, I mask in most indoor settings, and if I develop symptoms I’ll immediately seek a test and quarantine myself. Those are acceptable tradeoffs, for me. As a now triple-vaxxed person who has had the virus previously I am intent on living my life as normally as possible, which includes not unduly worrying about it or demanding others do so. And I would argue that expecting otherwise from me would make you functionally an anti-vaxxer.

Your risk calculus might be different, but that’s all it is, a little back-of-the-envelope math. Dealing with Covid is just acting as your own private actuary. That’s it. Your relationship towards Covid and the steps you take to mitigate its risks are fundamentally self-interested decisions that you should try to make as unemotionally as possible. It’s not a mitzvah.

Imagine my confusion, then, at the number of vaccinated people, almost all of them educated, liberal, and upwardly mobile, existing in a state of constant anxiety and dread over Covid, despite the fact that these feelings confer no survival advantage at all. While I have no issue with people feeling what they’re naturally feeling, I would argue that those with large platforms have a responsibility not to contribute to panic. Unfortunately many people with huge followings are being remarkably irresponsible, openly spreading fear and engaging in baseless speculation about mass death. This despite the fact that almost all of them fall in demographic slices with low risk. The immense popularity of overstating one’s personal risk from Covid, and of structuring one’s whole life around that exaggerated risk, can’t be explained in logical terms. It can only be understood with the animal logic of the force that dictates the living conditions of our entire elite class: their competition against each other.

I read something like this bonkers Ian Bogost essay in The Atlantic - read it, please, before you assume I’m being uncharitable - and I wonder, who is this for? And when he says “you,” who is you?

Bogost’s piece is an absolute classic, maybe the classic, in a particularly strange form of worry porn that progressives have become addicted to in the past half-decade. It’s this thing where they insist that they don’t want something to happen, but they describe it so lustily, imagine it so vividly, fixate on it so relentlessly, that it’s abundantly clear that a deep part of them wants it to happen. This was a constant experience in the Trump era - liberals would imagine that Trump was about to dissolve Congress and declare himself emperor, they’d ostensibly be opposed to such a thing, but they were so immensely invested in the seriousness and accuracy of such predictions that they’d clearly prefer for it to happen. I wrote about Chris Hayes and his bitter yearning for Trump last week, and he’s a good example, someone who ruminates on Trump and the dystopian future he might bring about with such palpable emotional pathology that it’s clear that, on some level, he needs it to happen, so that he can say “I was right.” And so with Bogost here; that level of anxious catastrophizing always carries with it the quiet, throbbing need for the bad dream to come true. Covid is already bad, very bad. I am always so confused that so many people seem desperately to want it to be worse.

See the Vox piece linked to in the tweet above, where the headline reads “The world as we know it is ending.” The person who wrote this wrote it on a functioning computer, passed it off to her superiors as part of a more-or-less unaltered business operation, and it was uploaded to the internet, where it can be accessed by billions of people wireless through the use of technologies that require an exquisite amount of collaboration across vast distances of geography and circumstance. In other words, the world as we know it is apparently ending in such a gentle way that the most basic economic, technological, and communicative infrastructures of our civilization are puttering along nicely. If you’re someone who is not predisposed to think that the world is ending, and people are flailing their arms and pointing at a society that seems to be functioning very similarly to how it always has, wouldn’t you just tune out all the doomsaying? You can’t keep ringing the bell over and over again.

Or take the casual statement, in this piece for the Ringer, that “Faced with a story about a pandemic that sweeps the globe and ends life as we know it, some will understandably balk at the prospect of reliving the last two years.” I have a, shall we say, somewhat less alarmist take on the last two years, where for the vast majority of the human species life as we know it has not ended.

Something like 5.3 million people across the world have died of Covid, which is indeed a tragedy. But the 1918 flu pandemic killed ten times that amount, when the world population was about a fourth of what it is now. Yet life went on. Institutions still functioned. There were stock markets, they held parades and fairs, people got married in grand halls. And the flu was very, very bad and it killed a lot of people. But what is the purpose of this kind of serial exaggeration of the impact on day-to-day life for the vast majority of people? 40% of people who catch Covid-19 never develop symptoms, a number that jumps to >60% among young adults. More than 80% of symptomatic cases are mild. We have vaccines that have proven remarkably effective at preventing hospitalization and death, and though Omicron appears to spread more quickly we have no reason to believe it undermines those benefits of vaccination. The vast, vast majority of people are going to survive this pandemic, and the remarkable efficacy of Pfizer’s upcoming antiviral will fundamentally change treatment, dramatically lowering deaths. I write all of this knowing that what I’m saying is responsible and buttressed by evidence. But the environment our media has created is so wildly sensationalistic and addicted to doomsaying that I get anxious just writing this. I’m afraid I’ll be called an antivaxxer for… asserting the power of vaccines.

Why do they want it to be worse?

I keep chewing on what function this disaster porn performs. It’s hard to say that it has any bearing on public health; does anyone think that the problem with the vaccine-hesitant is that they just haven’t been told loudly enough that Covid is bad? No. I do think that this worry is a performance, but I don’t think the unvaccinated are the audience. I think the audience is, as for so much of what these people do, their peers, other people in the broad world of the educated, the liberal, the upwardly-mobile if not affluent, the very online. These people compete against each other relentlessly, habitually, ritualistically.

I have made this basic observation in several different context before: our striving class is made up of people who are raised to compete and who structure their emotional lives around competing with each other. They go through the grindhouse of K-12 competition, running themselves ragged for scarce seats in the kind of colleges they feel they simply must attend. When they get there, they grind out the best grades they can get and busily occupy themselves with clubs and activities that will help them assemble the best resume for jobs or grad school. They might get a masters degree, or maybe do Teach for America or the Peace Corps, but sooner than later they enter professional life in fields where education, attitude, and vocabulary are hugely important, sectors of the workforce where your ability to convey that you are A Certain Kind of Person ia as important or more important than the quality of your professional output. And I find that, often, when they get to a certain station in life they have a kind of spiritual crisis because they now lack the structure and purpose that constant explicit competition provided. Academics, journalists, writers, researchers, nonprofit bureaucrats, “consultants” of all kinds, PR reps, marketing people - professions that are filled with people who find as they ease into middle adulthood that they are materially comfortable but miss the simpler existence of trying to climb the ladder. So they compete in less explicit arenas.

When this major international crisis arose, they felt a lot of legitimate fears and worries, which just makes them human. But when it became clear that the public health response to Covid involved denying ourselves things we wanted and enjoyed, including non-negotiably important things like in-person schooling and face-to-face human contact, they (subconsciously) saw an opening: if denial of human pleasures is virtuous, I can be more virtuous than my peers. If caution is noble, overcaution must be even nobler.

Elizabeth Currid-Halkett’s book The Sum of Small Things lays out the essential psychology brilliantly. As she demonstrates, changing norms among bourgie liberals has made conspicuous consumption crass, declassee. But the urge to compete, to win, trumps all. So our striving castes have developed all manner of other signals through which they subtly assert their superior virtue, their superior lives. Covid now fills such a role. With Covid, you never need an excuse to assert your superior seriousness, never need to wait for the right moment to insist that you’re doing it better than all of your peers. You can just openly tell the world “I am more responsible than you,” and the circumstances seem to justify it, even if the behavior is not in fact justified by The Science. (Like, say, by masking outdoors in regular conditions.) Currid-Halkett calls them the aspirational class. The point is not that they strive - we all strive - but that for this class of people striving is a end itself, not a means to an end. And so something like Covid becomes more grist for the mill.

For some people, it seems, being more freaked out about Covid is quite like an I Voted sticker or a BlackLivesMatter sign in their window. It’s another way to let everyone know that they have the greatest wealth of all, the wealth of superior character, of greater moral standing. They’re fond of pointing out those 5.3 million people who have died, in the midst of their self-aggrandizing diatribes. I would perhaps invoke the dead in a different way: even this, even now, even them, you turn into yet another way to let the rest of us know how advanced you are.

The danger is far from over. But when we got the vaccines case rates decoupled from the rate of hospitalization and death. Therefore if you are breathlessly reporting increases in case rates without reference to those other metrics, you are engaged in, yes, misinformation. For you normal people out there? Get vaccinated. Get boosted. Be smart. Then live your life. Defy the virus. Defy it.

 

A One D Ten T Problem

 

Accountability

We're a few days into one of the biggest debacles in American diplomatic and military history.  And yes, I was alive during the fall of Saigon.  What has happened over the course of the last few weeks in Afghanistan and what will happen in the coming weeks is almost inconceivable.  I wrote the baseline story yesterday and you can read it here.  Simply put, the decision to leave was made by civilian authority and so it was incumbent on the U.S. government to execute orders.  This was an operation that should logically have been handled by Dept of State and Dept of Defense with most likely cooperation from various other agencies.  Clearly...clearly they have failed in an epic manner.  Or I should say leadership failed in an epic manner.  As is usually the case the boots on the ground have responded heroically.  We have all seen it unfold on our TV screens over the last few days.  That there was no discernible plan, that we were slow to implement whatever contingency plans were put in place (assuming that there were such plans), that the circumstances on the ground have completely spun out of control is disastrous and unacceptable.  

The operations on the ground will unfold in the coming days.  Given the start, the execution is likely to be uneven, dangerous, filled with uncertainties and result in a fair amount of casualties.  I've seen it reported that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans trapped in Kabul trying to get out and between 20,000 and up to as many as 40,000 Afghans trying to escape what is likely a death sentence if they stay in the country.  Getting to those people will require some heavy lifting.  It will likely be borne by our Special Ops folks and I wish them Godspeed...because they are going to need it.

So as we watch from the sidelines the inevitable question arises about accountability.  Who do we hold accountable for this disaster?  Who will hold themselves accountable?  Who will look in the mirror and decide that the honorable thing to do is to resign?  And if they don't, who will Biden fire?  All good questions but I fear with this crowd the answer will be none of the above.  They will hunker down, claim to be part of the solution and hope for the best.  

I think Biden is responsible for this disaster and should resign.  Of course, he won't.  As we saw in his speech yesterday he doesn't even understand the nature of the disaster.  So his reckoning will come at the ballot box, but everyone knows he won't (can't?) run again.  So he will skate.  Who are the others who should go?  

If I were drawing up a list I'd say the National Security Advisor,  the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the President's principle military advisor), and the Commander of the Central Command.  I've heard others say that the head of each service should resign. But I don't think so.  Those guys are man, train and equip guys.  They don't have execution responsibility.  But the Commander of Central Command is the Unified Commander in charge of Afghanistan.  I also think that the our Ambassador to Afghanistan and the senior military commander on the ground in country should go.  So that's my list.  Harsh?  Maybe.  And there are probably other people in lesser known positions that should be held accountable.  

But this is the list of leaders who should be leading.  They should be accountable.  True leaders lead from the front.  They are the first on the field of battle and the last to leave.  Anything less is unacceptable and results in...well, it results in disaster!

A Disaster 20 Years in the Making

The recent events leading up to the debacle that is unfolding in Afghanistan has stirred up the blog juices in me.  In addition to being a catastrophe of epic proportions, it's a ripe field for comment.  So why not?

You've all seen the images.  Taliban thugs with their ragtag outfits and various weaponry taking over the country.  Their assurances that everything will be okay and they just want to unify the country around an "Islamic caliphate".  That they will impose sharia law and everything will be alright.  Women and girls won't be threatened and will able to follow their dreams.  Of course, it's all a load of crap.  They will create a barbaric, 7th century environment that will oppress, imprison and kill anyone who gets in their way.  Women and girls will be enslaved, oppressed, and set back to an age that no American can imagine. I guess you've got to hand it to them...they are very patient.  They've endured 20 years of war since 9/11 and have reemerged quickly to exert their dominance over the country.  The Afghanistan that the world has known until now will cease to exist.  

In watching the images of the people dealing with this calamity, I couldn't help but wonder about the incompetence in our government that has led to this day.  Like so many, I had really stopped thinking much about Afghanistan.  Although we've been "at war" there for 20 years, it has moved off the front pages.  I think that's because coalition forces seemed to come to some sort of equilibrium.  The U.S. had wound down our presence on the ground to about 2500 active combat troops.  There were coalition forces operating with us but I don't know how many.  Our soldiers in the field were working the the Afghan Army and they were doing the heavy lifting.  With the training, support, and backing of the coalition forces, including ours, they were keeping the Taliban at bay.  Of course, this couldn't have been done without the strong air support out of Bagram air base and other locations in the region.  But it seems to me that what the military had designed was working.  There hasn't been a U.S. casualty since Feb, 2020.  There isn't a big air threat so our forces operated with impunity in the air.  But what was the end game?  If I thought about it at all, that was what I thought about.  Where was this leading except to protect a large segment of the population, prop up the admittedly corrupt government, and stick a stick in the eye of the Taliban at every opportunity?  How long could we do it?  Why would we do it?

There is little doubt in anyone's mind who follows this stuff, that we (the U.S.) has gooned up this operation from the beginning.  GWB rightly went after Al Queda in Afghanistan after 9/11.  Osama Bin Laden was identified as the mastermind of 9/11 and we went after him.  If you read Gen Mattis' book, "Chaos" you'll find out that Mattis could have gotten him.  But the bureaucrats for whatever reason wouldn't let that happen.  And then Bush got distracted by Iraq.  He made the fateful and terrible decision to go to Iraq.  It was one of the worst military and diplomatic decisions that this country has ever made.  That clusterfuck is well documented and I won't get into how bad that was.  But it caused us to turn down the heat in Afghanistan.  And they fiddle around for 7 years with not much to show for it.  And then Obama comes in with determination to end it.  But he doesn't have a clue and doesn't really care.  He was all over the map by increasing troop strength, reducing troop strength, changing strategies on the fly, setting a time line for troop removal (extremely bad move!), and generally leaving the status quo in place for 8 years.  Trump comes in determined to bring the troops home but fiddles for 3 years until he sees the end of his Presidency looming.  Then, being the guy with the biggest ego in the room, decides he can strike a deal with the Taliban.  Terrible move.  But he does it and sets May 1, 2021 as our date that we'd be out.  He knew, they knew, everyone knew, that was bullshit.  But like a lot of things, he didn't care.  He only cared about his image.  

And then Biden gets elected.  Biden is the guy that Secretary of Defense Bob Gates said has "been wrong on every national security issue he's worked on in his career in the Senate".  And not too many people refute that.  He is determined to end our presence in Afghanistan come hell or high water.  So he sets the wheels in motion.  Except, I'm not sure anyone believed him. If they did, there would have been an executable plan in place.  Biden wasn't directly responsible for the chaos...but he caused it.  His national security apparatus clearly dropped the ball.  Big time.  

So when things start to go down sideways (that's a military term!) he does what all professional politicians do.  He starts the blame game.  Of course, the first target is Trump.  Trump handed him a bad deal and he's just trying to deal with it.  Of course, he rescinded, cancelled or otherwise ignored about 99% of the things Trump had put in place, but now he's telling us he has to abide by the Trump fiasco of a deal.  Everyone knows that's bullshit.  Then he says that he and his advisors didn't think the Afghanistan Army would fold so easily.  Really?  After he removed all air cover and closed Bagram?  Did he think they were going to take on bloodthirsty hoodlums with no concern with whether they live or die and have formidable weapons?  Were they going to get into the hand to hand combat game?  It was never gonna happen.  So they fled.  No surprise.  

When thinking about our presence in Afghanistan I can't help but think of the other places around the world where the U.S. is engaged diplomatically and militarily.  How about Korea?  Should we have stayed at the end of the war?  Should we be helping to protect the population and train their military?  What would it look like if we didn't?  If we hadn't established a presence, there would clearly be no S. Korea and their ensuing economic juggernaut that fuels all of Asia.  But what if we left today?  I don't know but I suspect that that neighborhood would grow a lot more dangerous very fast.  And the guy up North has nuclear weapons!  Should we still have a large presence in Japan?  Back at the end of WWII we were the sole governing authority.  What would that country have become without us?  Difficult to know with certainty, but I be they wouldn't be the economic success that they are.  So should we leave.  Talk to a few Japanese in the know about the threat from China and you'll become convinced that our presence has way more positives than negatives.  How about Eastern Europe and specifically Berlin.  Should we have cut and run?  Just let the Communist bastards have it?  What would Europe look like?  I suspect we'd have seen a Communist state all the way to the Atlantic.  How about Israel?  Did you know that we have a presence there?  We help keep the peace and ensure that a balance is maintained so that Israel isn't swallowed up by her neighbors who have no love for them.  There are tons of other places around the globe that we maintain some sore of presence to help preserve peace, ensure our interests are protected, and be there representing our country.  What about our Navy.  In today's global situation, our Navy is more diplomat than warrior a large percentage of the time.  We show the flag, we ensure that the populace of both friendly and not so friendly nations know we're there.  It can be a big comfort and a big deterrent.  

The Middle East is a giant quagmire that will remain so for as long as most of us live and probably long after.  Not many Americans understand it.  Most don't know the difference between a Shia Muslim and a Sunni Muslim any more than they know the difference between Saturn and Mars.  And those two groups hate each other passionately.  We cannot just disengage.  And it seemed to me that the small troop presence combined with air power and augmented by the Afghanistan Army was working and could remain in place for a lot of good reasons for a long time.  But once again...what is the end game?  Clearly democracy is a non-starter in the Middle East.  Won't work.  The best solution is a bad ass benevolent dictator.  Think Jordan.  Find someone who can replicate King Hussain and that would be a start.  But our population would probably hate that and rebel against any political leader who tried to press it.  So I don't know.  Maybe leaving it is right...but the risks are large.

I listened to Biden today and I really think he just doesn't get it.  The majority of Americans would be okay with bringing the troops home.  Many people like me believe we should remain engaged for a lot of good reasons, but if our civilian leaders say no, then so be it.  The outrage is not about that.  But the fiasco that has emerged as a result of terrible planning and execution is unacceptable.   Putting our people in harms way for an evacuation is unacceptable.  We know what we need to do and the operations over the next several weeks will be extremely dangerous to our people, not to mention the population of Afghanistan.  It is going to take a lot of troops and a lot of Spec Ops forces to get the innocent out safely.   People will die.  A lot of people will die.  The immediate disaster will be bad enough.  Women and girls will be subjected to unspeakable savagery.  Lives built over the last 20 years will be destroyed.  Hopes and dreams will be dashed.  And Afghanistan will once again become a refuge for the worst of the worst bad guys in the world.  Afghanistan will be their refuge, their training ground, and their base of operations.  And they will come for us.  When that is and how it will be is unknown.  But they will come.  

Happy Birthday America!

If you're an American, it's likely that you recognize the 4th of July as the country's birthday.  The day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted.  Specifically, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies separation from Great Britain.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the things about the Revolutionary War that is generally accepted by historians is that it was a miserable and squalid affair.  The Colonials were out manned, out gunned, lived in terrible conditions, suffered horrendous casualties, and had no business taking on the most powerful army in the world.  And yet they did.  And they kept going, sometimes in the face of insurmountable odds.  That this band of colonialist-soldiers kept going in the their effort to pursue freedom was really not something that the world has ever seen.  It took every bit of will, forbearance, wisdom, and faith in the cause they were championing for them to keep going.  That cause was an idea...the idea of freedom.  And it was never a sure thing.  In some of the darkest days, the temptation to give up was I'm sure overwhelming.  But dedication to the cause coupled with what was some inspired leadership won out.  And we are all better for it.  

When it was over they all went home and went about the business of creating and uplifting a country.  There was no rounding up those on the other side and standing them before a firing squad.  Those who sought citizenship were offered it.  Those who disagreed on details continued to disagree.  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two early heroes of country, carried on a terrible feud for decades.  Their philosophies of governing couldn't have been more different.  But each of them and their supporters continued to fight rhetorically for what they believed.  They fought at the ballot box and in the newspapers...not on a field of battle or in the streets.  And there was a recognition that differing beliefs did not mean differing dedication to the country.  It's interesting that as they continued their arguments and differences into the next century, at the end of their lives they started a reconciliation.  They exchanged letters and came to an understanding of sorts.  The other interesting and almost spooky thing is that they both died on July 4th, 1826, 50 years after the Revolution.  

I saw a story today someplace in the fetid world that the media has become that in interviews some young Americans are embarrassed of the country and believe we are a mean, vindictive, racist people.  How sad.  That says a lot about the state of education and the media today.  Or at least about a few people interviewed.  Now don't get me wrong.  We have and have had plenty of problems.  We've many times not lived up to our aspirations.  There are many, many problems that must be addressed.  And we still have a long way to go.  But I think of my Dad and the evolution of his world from being born in a log cabin in Alabama in 1920 and living for 86 years, into the new century.  Or myself, a child of the 50's and 60's and seeing the advances that we've achieved in all aspects of our culture, our civilization, our privileges, our openness, our specific laws designed to protect people, our recognition of the worth and dignity of every person and I marvel at where we are today.  And look at the economic, scientific, and educational achievements among so many others and it boggles the mind.   Many fellow citizens still haven't achieved the American dream, but that's not to say that many can't.  My belief is that given the will and a small amount of help, anyone can achieve their dreams.  We've seen it over and over and over.  

So enjoy our birthday.  While you're doing it think of those first patriots.  Those who had a glimmer of what we could be given the chance.  Those who were willing to give up all to achieve freedom.  Those men who could come up with this, the greatest sentence in the greatest document every created..."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among those are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  One of those unalienable rights as declared by the Bill of Rights is Freedom of Speech.  So complain all you want.  Take a stand to hold the government and those doing harm to our fellow citizens accountable.  Point out when the culture takes a turn in the wrong direction (in your opinion).  It is the right and responsibility of every American to voice his or her grievances.  But always, always, always remember this.  If you are an American alive in 2021, you have won the greatest prize you could ever have or ever imagine by being born in this country.   

Tear Down His Statue?

Thomas Jefferson has gotten a lot of grief lately.  Many groups are nonsensically demanding that he be erased.  He owned slaves and fathered bastard children.  He was an elitist and is not deserving of any honor or our admiration.  But then there is also this...

Thomas Jefferson

His portrait is on the $2.00 Dollar Bill.

This is amazing. There are two parts to this.

Be sure to read the 2nd part (in RED ).

Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started  learning very early in life and never stopped.

At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.

At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.

Also could write in Greek with one hand, while writing the same in Latin with the other.

At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.

At 23, started his own law practice.

At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.

At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America," and retired from his law practice.

At 32, was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia, succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected President of the American Philosophical Society..

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of the Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the nation's size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello.

At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly, created the University of Virginia and served as its' first president.

At 83, died on the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams.

Thomas Jefferson knew, because he himself studied, the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, His laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today.

Jefferson really knew his stuff...A voice from the past to lead us in the future:

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement:

"This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House, with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ."  -- Thomas Jefferson

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."   -- Thomas Jefferson

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its ' own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on, would save one-half the wars of the world."   -- Thomas Jefferson

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them."  -- Thomas Jefferson

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government   results from too much government."  --  Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."  -- Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."   -- Thomas Jefferson

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time  with the blood of patriots and tyrants."  -- Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes, the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical."   -- Thomas Jefferson

Pandemic Reading

I can't believe that it's been almost a year since the pandemic seriously kicked in.  In many ways it doesn't seem that long but I think it's just because most people have settled into a life that is more mundane than they are used to.  Most of us, especially at my age, have been careful in who they associate with, where they go for groceries and daily human tasks, and have restricted most travel that isn't absolutely essential.  We've actually been a bit more liberal than many of our our friends in our movements in the community, but have still felt the oppression of "hunkering down".  Of course, in our case it really isn't that bad and we have much to be thankful for.  As retirees we've got plenty of resources, a comfortable home, and friends and loved ones nearby.  But still...

One of the fallouts of the pandemic has been my reading has increased rather dramatically.  I've always been a reader and my normal custom has always been to have a book that I'm reading with one in the wings.  But now it seems normal to have one that I'm reading with about 10 in the wings.  Once I start looking I wind up finding a lot of books that interest me.  I'm not a reader that likes to stick to one distinct type of book or one genre.  Fiction or non-fiction, traditional or contemporary it doesn't really matter.  About the only thing that I don't really like very much is science fiction.  

So since I've read what seems like a ton of books, most of which I really liked in different ways, I thought I'd provide a listing in case any of you out there might be interested.  I'll also provide a short (very short in most cases because I don't want to give anything away) description or critique.  I hope that if you're a reader you'll find something that you might like.  Because for goodness sakes we have plenty of time to read!

1. I Love Capitalism by Ken Langone.  A rags to riches story by the founder of Home Depot. This is a book optimism, rags to riches and a celebration of capitalism.
2. The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam.  A no holds barred story of the Korean War.  Intense, gruesome, maddening and heartbreaking.
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  The story of a teenage girl and her family torn between a life in the 'Hood' and an upper class neighborhood.  A raw story of race in America.
4. Educated by Tara Westover.  A memoir of a young girl's struggle for education.
5. Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis.  Some great stories and vignettes on leadership.
6. The Sword and the Scimitar by Raymond Ibrahim.  Fourteen centuries of war between Islam and the West.
7. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.  A semi-autobiography of a man who escapes from Australian prison and flees to India where he lives his life.  This book is a fascinating look at life in Bombay.
8. Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers by Brian Kilmeade.  The story of the early days of the Texas and the defense of the Alamo.
9. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  An epic historical novel about a Korean family that eventually emigrates to Japan.
10. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson.  A saga of Churchill, his family, and defiance during the Blitz.
11. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.  The story of an African American labor and delivery nurse and the racism surrounding her care of a white supremacist couple's newborn son.  This was a very powerful, eye-opening novel and highly recommended.
12. Fortitude by Congressman Dan Crenshaw.  American resilience in the era of outrage.
13. Invisible Prey by John Sandford.  One of the "prey" books.  Sandford is a prolific mystery writer and one of my favorites.  He spins an intricate and exciting story.  I've read most of his books.
14. Aria's Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisen.  The story of a young woman and her mobile bookstore traveling in Europe.  A great romantic comedy.
15. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.  Black twin sisters from the South run away at 16.  One winds up back in the same small town and one moves to California and passes for white.  A fascinating contrast.
16. Weenie Kleegan  and The Mayor of Olangopo by Hamlin Tallent.  Both of these books tell a good yarn about Naval Aviators on deployment.  I liked them because I knew Ham back in the day and could relate to the stories.
17. Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon.  My favorite of all that I've read.  The story of a wagon train heading west from St Louis.  Spellbinding.
18. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.  A portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern.  A fascinating read.
19. 28 Summers by Elie Hilderbrand.  I will confess to reading several (maybe 10) Hilderbrand novels.  They are short, fun, emotional and a usually a great read.  She has a trilogy set on St. John Island in the Caribbean that is great.  This book turns out to be very poignant.  
20. The Last Mile by David Baldacci.  I've read most of Baldacci's books and they are all good.  He is a great mystery writer.
21. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory.  This is a definite "chick book" but it is a fun read that provides definite escapism.  I liked it so much that I found her other 4 novels and read them all.  She is a really good story teller.  And not to ruin anything, but there are a lot of twists and turns but it all is alright in the end.
22. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.  This book has won all kinds of awards and it was good.  I wasn't as enthralled by it as I thought I would be.  It's about a kid in the '60s who faced tragedy as told by himself 40 years later.
23. The Last Mile by Brad Thor.  Thor tells a great spy story.  I've read all his books.  Suspenseful, lots of twists, good guys win and bad guys lose.  What could be better?
24. Raven One by Kevin Miller.  The first of three novels about Naval Aviation combat.  I read all three.  For a guy who's been there some of it is pretty far fetched but it is great escapism.  Miller keeps the characters together through three novels and it's easy to identify with them.  
25. The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett.  This is the prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, one of the best books I've read.  It takes place around 400bc in England.  Follett is a great storyteller and this book makes you want more.
26. The Kill Chain by Christian Rose.  The subtitle of this book is "Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare".  It's all about China and it's scary.  I know enough about the subject that I paid close attention.  
27. Killing Floor by Lee Child.  This is a Jack Reacher novel.  What can I say?  I've read all the Reacher novels.  They are ridiculous but compelling.  At some point it becomes sort of fun to speculate what crazy fix he is going to find himself in only to escape.  It's sort of an American James Bond in blue jeans.  
28. Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave.  If I say much I'll give it away but suffice to say this is a wonderful story that is poignant, compelling, maddening, fun and contains a lot of unexpected turns.  I didn't think I would like it but I couldn't put it down.  One of my favorites.  I just bought another book by Laura, "Hellos Sunshine" and it was terrific.  Not as good as Eight Hundred Grapes, but good.
29. True Colors by Kristin Hannah.  This is the story of three sisters whose once-solid world is broken apart by jealousy, betrayal, and the kind of passion that rarely comes along.  Kristin Hannah is one of favorite authors and I've read most of her stuff.  She has a new novel coming this year that I'm looking forward to reading.
30. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.  This book grabs you from the first page.  I couldn't put it down.  One of my favorites.  This novel tells the story of a woman and her child escaping murderous violence (literally) in Acapulco and ultimately winds up taking a migrant train North and then going with a Coyote across the border.  It is a heartbreaking story and caused me to rethink some of my thinking about immigration.  It was really good.
31. Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen.  I've read a lot of this humorists books and they are all funny and a bit ridiculous.  They offer a unique portrait of life in Florida.  A funny, brainless read.
32. A Time for Mercy by John Grisham.  A typical page turner by Grisham.  I've read most of his books.  He writes legal thrillers and they are all good.  They are full of twists and turns and the good guys usually win.  This is the continuation of a small town lawyer in Mississippi.
33. The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherford.  A friend recommended these books and I'm glad he did.  But man, it was a long trek through pre-Christian Ireland to today.  Rutherford tells an epic tale of several families over hundreds of years and it is a magnificent story.  I really never understood the oppression of the Catholics in Ireland until I read these books.  Rutherford brings the country alive and some parts are page turners and some are arcane country and church history.  I really liked the books, but if you decide to read them, set aside some significant time.
34. Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn.  This is a Mitch Rap spy novel.  I think I've read all of them and this one was as good as the rest.  They are a bit far fetched but the story is very intricate and keeps you turning pages.  Not for the feint of heart though.  Mitch is a CIA assassin who doesn't hesitate to do what needs to be done in defense of the country. 
35. A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett.  I've told you previously what a good storyteller Follett is and he doesn't disappoint.  This is the story of a young Scottish immigrant escaping the coal mines of Scotland and making his way to America in the 1760's.  It's a gripping, inspiring tale.
36. Waking up White by Debby Irving.  This book is easily the worst book I've ever read.  Easily.  It  is infuriating.  I know that it's very popular and oh so woke to take on the mantle of white guilt and by saying it's terrible some would brand me as a certain type...namely that of a racist.  But this book is so insulting, so full of stereotypes, so sophomoric in its examples and comparisons that if it wasn't so damaging to our culture, it'd be laughable.  I only see this book as Ms Irving seeing a crisis, banging out an infantile and simplistic explanation according to her elite musings and seeking to make a buck off the crises that we see in our culture over race.  It's shameful.  Don't waste your time or at least don't buy it...borrow it.  
37. Robert E Lee and Me by Col. Ty Sidule.  I'm only about 1/4 of the way through this but so far it's really good.  Since I'm a bit of a Civil War geek I think it's especially good.  It's the story of a retired Army Colonel and West Point Historian who grew up in Virginia who has realized that his entire upbringing was based on a lie.  That lie was the great myth of the Lost Cause.  I'll not say more but if you are interested in unvarnished truth about slavery and the nature of the Confederacy, check out this book.  And better yet, read this instead of the book immediately above.  

Here are the books I have in my iPad and are ready to read.  

1. Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
2. Sailing True North by Admiral James Stavridus
3. Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier.
4. The Seekers by John Jakes
5. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
6. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
7. Caste, The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
8. Big White Ghetto by Kevin Williamson
9. Sophomores by Sean Desmond
10. London is the Best American City by Laura Dave
11. The Road by Colmac McCarthy

Everyone is different and likes different things.  Some don't like reading at all and would rather be out doing something in the real world.  And I can relate to that.  Some only like non-fiction because for whatever reason they don't see value in the stories that novels tell.  And I can't relate to that.  Because for me I can sometimes lose myself in a book and when I read a story that I become so immersed in that I don't want it to end, well that is sublime.  So if you see something that looks interesting, give it a try.  You most likely won't be disappointed.

Storming the Capitol

We've all seen countless videos and images of the thousands of people who stormed and ransacked the Capitol last week.  I wrote about the insurrection when it happened here.   This has obviously been the biggest story in a sea of big stories and has resulted in a vote to impeach President Trump and lock down the Capitol for the inauguration like we've never seen.  I think most people are just anxious for it to be over and move on.

As we dissect and evaluate what happened, there is still one thing I just can't wrap my mind around.  So say you're an ardent Trump supporter and you heed his call to come to Washington DC on Jan 6.  It doesn't matter where you're from but you make your way to the Mall for the big demonstration.  There are thousands of supporters there and they are being whipped up by various speakers culminating in the President of the United States who tells everyone to march to the Capitol and fight like hell.  Of course, you being a relatively intelligent person realize that much of the rhetoric is political posturing and made for TV, but still it's exciting.  And maybe you even have half a brain in your head and know that the certification of the election by Congress is largely ceremonial and there is no way that objecting to it by sympathetic Congressmen is going to make a difference.  And not in a million, billion years is Vice President Pence going to somehow singlehandedly overturn the election.  It's never going to happen.  It's over.  But like I said, it's an exciting and heady environment.  So off you go with the crowd.  And you probably think you're gonna wind up at the Capitol and there maybe will be more speeches and a lot of milling around but that you will have been part of history and exercised your freedom of speech.  

But when you arrive you realize it's way more serious than you expected.  The rhetoric is turning fowl.  The people in the crowd look like people who could take a lot more serious action than you expected.  And as you're in the crowd it starts to surge forward.  Then you realize that the police are giving way because they aren't authorized to use deadly force.  And you get swept along with the crowd and all of a sudden you're on the steps climbing toward the door.  

So here's my question.  How in the world do you go through that door?  It's the door to the U.S. Capitol and you've realized that if you stay with that crowd nothing good will come from it.  In what world do you think taking over the U.S Capitol is a legitimate activity?  I get that there are a lot of violent, stupid people who occupy the far right and the far left in this country and it's not surprising that some of those knuckleheads would lower themselves to such despicable actions, but how does the normal political activist or political junky who simply attended a rally for the President advance to the point that they think violently entering the U.S. Capitol is okay.  I just can't wrap my mind around that.  

But I will say this, I hope they find you and I hope they hold you accountable.  And I'm not talking about a slap on the wrist or a fine.  I'm talking about making little rocks out of big rocks.  Because you are a traitor and an idiot.

The Trump Presidency

There will probably be more articles, essays, speeches, panels and debates than we can count that will assess the Trump presidency.  They will go on and on and on.  Depending on who is doing the talking or writing, the assessments will take on dramatically different tones.  And ground truth will depend on where you sit.  You will either believe the proposition being put forth or you won't.  

I've already seen several attempts at describing the past four years.  Most are superficial and of course probably premature because time needs to go by to make assessments.  That is in most cases.  In Trump's case, there is plenty to dissect.

I saw an article in National Review today that caught my eye.  I generally like the author's take on things and I think even as the ink isn't dry on the Trump Presidency, he has done a good job of laying out the goods and bads.  At least I think he has done a good job.  You can read the article, "A Final Assessment of the Trump Presidency, and the Path Forward" here.  It's a long read and the lead in to the meat of the article is a bit tedious, but like I said, I think he captures it pretty well.  

I particularly like the three critiques of Trump's Presidency..."the incalculable damage his character and behavior has caused, the precedent of what he has done in fiscal management, and the dysfunctional management of personnel".  Many will not agree but I think it's pretty spot on.  

Truth

 What is truth?  When you think of truth do you think of circumstances that lead to truth?  Are you one of those folks who talk about "your truth"?  There is an increasing tendency in our society to water down truth or at least to apply qualifiers to truth.  The loss of objective truth is one of many reasons that there is so much angst and conflict in society today.  If we can't even agree on what is objective truth, it's pretty difficult to agree on causes, processes, and outcomes of anything we do.  

A good friend and retired Priest who I've quoted several times in this blog had a great reflection on the mayhem at the Capitol on Wednesday.  One section particularly struck me and is something I've been concerned about for some time.  Objective truth.  Why have we lost it?  Or are losing it?  Here are his words:

"..,the political chaos in our country is a symptom of our abandonment to objective truth. President Trump’s lies reflect a postmodern culture in which there is no longer any objective truth, only the “truth” that I want to hear, or agree with, or accept. Truth is only a perspective from an individual and not an objective reality. It is truth as I see it, that suits my agenda, is in my self-interest, that furthers my policies and reflects my will to power. The Nazis of old and the Chinese Communists today have practiced this kind of truth. George Orwell warned against it in his books 1984 and Animal Farm, and even C.S. Lewis wrote a powerful book on the subject titled The Abolition of Man.

 

America today is a nation without truth, only “truths” for different segments of the population. If you are a liberal, you tune into MSNBC or CNN. If you are a conservative, there is Fox News or Newsmax. You read papers or go to web sites that appeal to your preferences and prejudices, never hearing or listening to any other viewpoints. This is a frightening phenomenon in our country, and it is preventing intelligent discussion and rational debate because each side is absolutely convinced they have the whole truth and their opponents are completely wrong – and not only wrong but evil. No dialogue is possible. There is no conversation, no willingness to listen and understand the perspectives of the other. No wonder there is violence and political heavy-handedness in America. We can’t even sit at the same table and talk to one another with mutual respect as citizens of one great country. "

 That pretty much sums up my views.  And the concern is how do we get it back.  One of the many websites I've been watching is Axios.  They are relatively new but are popular with the younger crowd who want quick stories that cut to the chase.  There is one this morning that particularly resonated called "Insurrection and misinformation tears the country into Three Americas".  The pull quote that struck me is here: 

"Now, more than ever, is the time to read and reflect: Our nation is rethinking politics, free speech, the definition of truth and the price of lies. This moment — and our decisions — will be studied by our kid's grandkids."

"The definition of truth".  Why does truth need to be defined?  Is it because we have moved to a place where everyone has their own truth?  If truth were objective, there wouldn't need to be a definition.  This little blog isn't going to change any of that.  But it's worth thinking about next time you hear someone say "their truth".  Is it your truth?  Is it the truth?  Good questions to be thinking about.

Along with truth and maybe just as important is trust.  Who do you trust do provide you with truth?   Do you suspect it's their truth and not the truth?  Do you seek multiple sources to figure out truth for yourself?  Most media has bias.  That's just a fact.  And it's nothing new.  I saw a quote the other day from George Washington from a letter he wrote in 1797 to James McHenry, the 3rd Secretary of War.  President Washington wrote, "We get so many details from the Gazettes (media), and of such different complexions, that is is impossible to know what credence to give to any of them".  So figuring out truth from media has always been a difficult task.  Add to this that these days many, many people get their information from non-traditional sources.  Blogs, websites, newsletters, podcasts, and many other forms of information have proliferated across the net.  There. is usually little control and they can say anything they want.  In the last week I've heard wild conspiracy theories from people I would otherwise deem level headed.  Our current strife has served to feed these theories.  So be careful.  Don't be the person who passes on bogus information that doesn't pass the logic test.

There is an increasing potential for the population to break into factions that only believe what they are fed.  When this happens it is only bad for the Republicans.  With their disappointment with Trump since the election, I think more and more people will turn away from him.  But there are a significant number of rabid zealots who believe in him as the renegade outsider who wanted and wants to "drain the swamp".  When you add in the far right white supremacists, you have a recipe for recalcitrance and even violence.   However, his actions and rhetoric along with disgust of the actions and beliefs of some of the people still in the Trump camp are increasingly alienating to a large number of Republicans.  So the next few years will be a critical and defining time for the Republicans.  And I think if there is a fracturing of the party that results in two (or more) smaller parties, then Conservatism is dead.  Or maybe not dead, but certainly on life support.  If you're a conservative Republican, which way will you go?