Thursday, February 20, 2025

Thursday, February 20, 2025

February 20, 2025

Disaster Status

Much of the US is waking up to a fresh layer of snow on the ground and colder temperatures in the air. In fact, in many places, it is colder in Greenland than in the US. As I’m typing, the outdoor temperature is a whopping three degrees Fahrenheit. We’re keeping the kids home because their bus has been running late all week and they don’t need to be breathing such cold air. If only keeping them home would also protect them from what some are calling the most stupid empire collapse in history.

Yes, some people are standing up to Felonious Punk and his cronies, but you have to look outside national media to find them. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who just happens to be Jewish, was delivering his State of the State address yesterday when he said, “After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities — once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends — after that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next?” he asked.

“All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history, then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it,” Pritzker said. “It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.”

Someone asked me last night where Bernie is in all this mayhem. I found him, but the source is Pravda, of all places. The Ukrainian-based paper quotes Senator Sanders as saying, “Yesterday, we witnessed an extremely sad moment in American history. We saw the president of the United States aligning himself with the dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to undermine the independence of Ukraine and its democracy. Let’s be clear: Trump is showing us that he sees one of the world’s most brutal dictators as his friend, and our long-time democratic allies in Europe as his enemies. He wants a world that is safe for authoritarians and oligarchs but extremely dangerous for democracies. It will not surprise you when I tell you that Trump is lying – as he so often does.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett has been an outspoken opponent as well. Speaking on MSNBC, she said, “It’s just that they’re idiots. These are the same guys as it relates to our nuclear stockpile, they’re like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, we needed those guys? Can we get them back? Oh, we don’t know how to.’ I don’t know how anyone can look at this administration & feel a semblance of confidence.”

And while President Shitforbrains incorrectly states the popularity of Ukraine’s Zelensky, his own popularity at home continues to shrink. Sure, the numbers are not dropping by huge amounts yet, but as the administration’s cuts continue to affect people in poorer Southern (and heavily Republican) states, his approval rating will continue to shrink and it will take more than a one-time $5K check to get it back.

Yet, guess what the banner headline is on the Moscow Times this morning. Kremlin Says It ‘Absolutely Agrees’ With Donald Trump on Ukraine. WTF? I can’t remember the last time the US and Russia were in lockstep like this! If one of the world’s most cruel and murderous governments agrees with the direction we’re taking, there’s no question that we’re going the wrong way!

Oh, and then there was this moment yesterday.

The White House even posted that picture on their own social media pages! Are we supposed to see this as some kind of joke? Hardly. We can see where he’s going and it doesn’t look good for democracy. The backlash has been relatively severe, but the move shows us his true intent.

Some are asking why none of the former presidents have spoken up. The answer lies in the fact that anything a former president says is instantly politicized. The Punk has already eliminated their morning briefings and some Secret Service details, so we know he’s afraid of them, but if/when they do stand up, they’ll need to be ready to take on the mantle of leading the revolution, something neither Clinton nor Bush is physically up to doing.

What may be upsetting me the most this morning is seeing multiple social media posts from parents asking whether it is worth continuing to live, and more frightening, whether their children should continue to live as well. I understand their concern and appreciate the resulting depression. Our situation as a country is bad and it’s not going to get any better as long as the status quo is allowed to endure. However, do we dare go so far as to completely give up any hope?

I’m deeply concerned that people are so quickly past any determination to fight and going straight to complete surrender. How do we stop the world from crumbling if our own inaction is contributing to the decay of our democracy? I understand that not everyone is as willing to put a gun to the head of every GOP politician as I am, but if we are at the point of providing no resistance at all, we not only doom ourselves but the entire world! This is not a matter of which our own desires are at stake.

I choose to believe that the resistance is growing. Perhaps it’s not moving as quickly as I might like, but as more people lose their jobs, as prices continue to rise, and the cost of living continues to soar, we must realize that, unlike natural disasters that happen no matter what we do, this is one disaster that we can stop. We need a leader to step up and unify the resistance, someone who can lead the charge, and then we need the will to fight as though our lives depend on it because they do.

No fun and games exist here. We’re dealing with a dictator and the only way to do so is to depose him and everyone in his administration.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / science

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Save The Date

We may finally have a start date for Armageddon: Saturday, February 15, 12:00 PM EST. What that means is that if you love someone, even if you just like them a lot, you might as well go ahead and tell them on Friday. Buy the chocolate. Eat the fancy dinner. Go to that concert you can’t afford. Indulge. This could be your last chance.

Am I fear-mongering a bit? Yes, intentionally to make a point. In the past three and a half weeks, we’ve already become so accustomed to one alarming headline after another that we’re starting to ignore the ones that don’t appear to directly affect us. As a result, developments that could genuinely bring about the beginning of the end go ignored because they’re not sitting in your back door, don’t have an immediate effect on your pocketbook, and may not disturb your spring break plans. As stressful as it is, though, we need to pay more attention.

Here’s what’s happened in the past twenty-four hours:

Hamas says it’s putting additional hostage releases ‘on pause.’ This immediately puts the entire ceasefire truce in danger.
Israel fatally shot a pregnant Palestinian woman in the West Bank. Tensions were already high in the region and this incident, accident or not, put residents more on edge.
Felonious Punk warns ‘all hell is going to break out’ if Gaza hostages are not returned by Hamas. He arbitrarily set a deadline for noon on Saturday, about the time the Punk finishes his first Big Mac.
Hamas brushes off Punk and insists all parties must be committed to a ceasefire. Someone is playing into the other’s hand, but I’m not sure which side is likely to win. I do know that both are equally heartless and stupid.
Punk Says He May Cut Aid if Jordan and Egypt Don’t Take Displaced Gazans. The danger here isn’t necessarily a lack of aid to the two countries, but with whom they will ally in its absence. Don’t expect it to be anyone who likes us.

King Abdullah II of Jordan is scheduled to meet with Punk in Washington later this morning. Expect the toughest possible diplomatic language to be thrown about. Jordan’s laws prohibit taking refugees. Since Punk has no respect for anyone’s laws, including our own, he’s taking a ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude. Plans for an upcoming visit by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt appear to have been scrapped, according to Arab media. El-Sisi isn’t inclined to play games with the US presidork and will turn to Iran and Russia in a heartbeat.

Are you beginning to see how this all could blow up in our faces? The more Punk pushes, the more Middle East and adjacent countries are balking. The decades of diplomacy necessary to keep a shaky level of peace in the region are coming undone just to placate the ego of a maniac.

Worst case scenario: noon passes on Saturday, which is about sundown in Israel (which is important), and Israel decides the abandon the ceasefire and bomb ‘the hell’ out of Gaza. Iran retaliates and brings both Egypt and Jordan into the fight, possibly along with Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Turkey’s involvement would put pressure on European NATO countries to be involved. Putin hates NATO, so if they become involved then so will Russia, initially sending weapons and ammo, but troops if the conflict grows. Should Russia become directly involved, it’s doubtful that the Punk-In-Chief is going to sit on the sidelines. This would be the excuse for war that he’s been wanting. Once the US is directly involved, it’s WWIII and all bets are off the table.

But we have the superior armed forces, right? Uhm, about that…

Ebola cases in Uganda have risen to 9, while 265 others are being monitored under quarantine. This is the level at which it begins to spread to other countries, including the US.

Scientists warn Punk’s medical research cuts endanger patients as judge blocks the move for now. Remember how quickly a vaccine was found for the last pandemic? Punk would remove funding for the agencies that can prevent millions of people from dying. So much for healthy troops.

Fifteen cases of measles were reported in a small West Texas county with a high rate of vaccine exemptions. Do stupid things, get stupid results. However, 15 cases in one county are alarming and are almost certainly going to spread to adjacent counties.

AND THEN, A new strain of bird flu is detected in a Nevada dairy worker. Because, you know, the two strains that we already had going weren’t enough, apparently.

Now put all that together, let all those bacterium mix and mingle around in the human body. Anyone is sufficiently deadly on its own. In any combination, the lethality is something no health organization in the world is ready to fight. Troop strength, across the board, plummets quickly as everyone is at risk.

Now there’s some fear-mongering for you. This is all hyperbole. There is a decent chance that absolutely nothing will happen. Saturday will come and go as we rant and rail about more irrelevant and idiotic executive orders being handed down. The sun might even shine.

So, why write about it at all? Because in the flood of nonsense coming out of Washington, we easily lose our ability to think critically and strategically. One tends to not worry about the rain when being swept away by the water. We look to secure our personal security first and when that appears to be at such high risk, we become ignorant of larger, more dangerous monsters sneaking up on our backside. While worst-case scenarios are highly speculative, we still have to acknowledge the possibilities and, at least in the back of our minds, have an adequate response waiting.

The Internet is full of comparisons between this administration and the rise of Nazism in Germany. Too many of them are accurate. It has gotten so bad that yesterday, the American Bar Association felt that it needed to release a statement supporting the Rule of Law. One would think that attorneys supporting the Rule of Law would be a given, but the situation in DC has gotten so out of hand that they need to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Today, we’ll likely see how the administration responds to a federal judge saying that the White House ignored his ruling on aid spending. There’s that whole Rule of Law issue, again. There’s so much going on that no one seems to be standing up to the ‘pause’ in federal law prohibiting foreign bribes. A new survey of global corruption shows the US slipping from a score of 69 to 65, putting us in 28th place. Who’s the least corrupt? Denmark, Finland, Singapore, and New Zealand, in that order, to no one’s surprise.

I was out with the dogs last night, trying to get Hamilton to tire out a bit before settling down for the night. We were roughhousing and playing when I took a hard faceplant. My first thought was to call out for help, but I didn’t. Everyone had a tough day. No one needed to add me to their list of problems. Nothing was injured beyond my pride. As both dogs came running to make sure I was okay, I picked myself up, brushed off the mud, came inside, and changed out of my clothes.

This morning, I’m in pain. I’m hoping meds and a hot shower will help. Perhaps this is a metaphor for where we are as a country. We’ve fallen, but the safeguards that would normally help us up are missing. We’ve endured so much that we’re in pain, hoping that we can fix everything that’s wrong by taking a hot shower and hoping that the Rule of Law makes everything better.

I’m not sure which is worse: too little fear or too much. Both are dangerous. Good luck finding the balance point.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / Mythology

Sunday, February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

Fatal Flaws & Bad Religion

For more than two years I purposely ingested poison every day to prevent myself from dying. That cancer is a complete bitch is not new news for anyone. Practically everyone knows of someone who died from the disease. When someone tells us that they have cancer, our first response is to anticipate the worst and hope we’re wrong. We inherently understand that left untreated, cancer kills. We’ve seen many survive treatment and go on to live productive lives. We’ve also seen those for whom treatment was insufficient and shed tears watching their lives fade away. Few question the science. Cancer is bad.

So why, then, do we not respond the same to a severe outbreak of the flu? Almost everyone blows it off until they get it and, much to their surprise, it nearly kills them. We are fortunate to have plenty of medications that treat the flu, depending on the variety. Yet, as I’m typing, 4-year-old Ruby Swain is on the verge of dying from a case of Flu A. We hope that she’ll recover, but there are no guarantees. There never have been. The flu is pretty fucking dangerous.

Among this morning’s headlines, Avian flu is suspected in up to 15 bird deaths at New York City zoos. A dairy worker in Nevada has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, the first human case identified in the state. Both strains are different from the bird flu, which has kept egg prices increasing across the country. As we mentioned yesterday, this is the worst flu outbreak in 15 years. The odds of one form or another developing into a full-scale pandemic are too high to ignore.

So, naturally, Felonious Punk, the questionably-elected leader of our tattered country, decides this would be a good time to start removing critical health information from government websites. Specifically, information related to the particular health issues of women and people of color has gone missing. Funding for medical research has been frozen or abolished. The Centers For Disease Control is bracing for layoffs.

Sit back, I’m gonna make this personal.

In the Spring of 1974, I got the flu. The timing sucked. I was supposed to play Pomp & Circumstance for Jr. High graduation. There were finals to take at school. Things were not going well at the church Poppa pastored and he was actively looking at his options. For a while, we ignored the fever and other symptoms and I kept on plugging away. I could barely see the music as I played for the graduation. I couldn’t concentrate enough to take tests. Because Mother was a trusted teacher, she was allowed to administer my tests at home, but that didn’t help. I grew increasingly sick.

Finally, when my fever hit 105, my parents decided to break down and take me to the doctor. The problem there, and the reason for their hesitancy, was that our local small-town doctor was on vacation. He had made arrangements with another physician in the next town over to see any emergency cases. My parents weren’t sure they wanted to trust this unknown doctor, but when my fever wouldn’t come down, they decided they had to call. At 9:00 at night.

Remember, this was the 70s in rural Oklahoma. There were no urgent care centers. Hospitals largely shut down after 6:00 PM. Going to the ER was out of the question. When Mother called the first time, the doctor was audibly perturbed at the lateness of the call. He told her to give me aspirin (Tylenol wasn’t a big thing yet) and make an appointment for the next morning.

I took the aspirin. My fever continued to rise. At 11:30, Mother called the doctor again. I was in desperate need of help. I was having trouble breathing. The doctor balked, insisting that we would have to wait for normal office hours the next day. Then, Poppa got on the phone. I have no idea what he said to the doctor, but the next thing I knew I was bundled in a blanket and on my way to the doctor’s office.

After seeing my condition, the doctor apologized for the delay. He had not imagined that my condition could possibly be this bad. I remember getting two shots in my butt. Mother would later tell me that I was four. By morning, my fever had gone down to 102, but it stubbornly stayed there for the next four weeks. We would end up moving to Tahlequah before I was completely well. I never saw any of my classmates or friends again.

Only years later would Mother admit that they had erred by not taking me to the doctor sooner. They had relied on faith. Praying like crazy that God would heal me and make me better. Surely, if they waited long enough, this flu would just go away for me like it did for everyone else. It didn’t. If science hadn’t prevailed, I would have died.

Not since then have I had a case of the flu that laid me out as badly as that one. We learned from the experience. At the first sign of a fever, we were off to the doctor. There would be other years when the flu would hit the household pretty hard, but never again was it as life-threatening. The lesson I came away with was two-fold: Don’t take health matters lightly, and don’t expect God to intervene.

So, when Felonious Punk announced this week that he was creating a White House Faith Office and putting Paula White-Cain at its head, a knot started growing in the pit of my stomach. When he signed an executive order alleging to protect against anti-Christian bias, that knot started bouncing around, causing me to feel ill. I fear that these are precursors to a change in government that puts everyone at risk and blatantly defies the Constitution.

The problem is that Paula White-Cain is a fraud. That’s not surprising, given the company she keeps. Newspapers have labeled her as a ‘prosperity gospel’ proponent, one who thinks that there’s a connection between salvation and how much one gives to the church. While that’s true, there’s an even darker side to her beliefs. White-Cain is part of a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation, which is a Christian Nationalist movement bent on putting like-minded religious fruit cakes in all government offices. They’re willing to completely ignore the whole of the First Amendment. Women’s rights? Nah. They need to stay home. Religious freedom? Nope. If you’re not their brand of Christian your faith is invalid. Science over myth? Not even close. They look at things such as science, math, and rational thinking as damaging to one’s faith and are therefore sinful. These are the people who label empathy as sinful. They bend and contort scripture so far out of context that Jesus Christ himself wouldn’t recognize the bullshit they’re preaching.

The movement is far from new, though it hasn’t always had this name. It has seen a resurgence over the last fifteen years, though. There are books both supporting and debunking the philosophy at almost any bookstore. The tenets of the movement are at the crux of any debate between conservative and progressive churches.

Worse yet, they’re getting what they want. At the start of the new legislative session, a group of North Dakota legislators put forward a blatantly unconstitutional resolution that would have the state “acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ.”

“Whereas, the founding fathers of this great state begin the constitution with the words, ‘We’, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God … We desire there shall be a recognition of Almighty God as the source of authority; of the Lord Jesus Christ as the rightful ruler of nations…” the text for House Concurrent Resolution 3020 reads.

Should this resolution pass, and should courts ultimately uphold it, the entirety of the First Amendment would become null and void. Other states, such as Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, and Arkansas, would almost immediately follow suit. As more states bend to the idiocy of this movement, the entire Constitution fractures as Amendments are as misinterpreted as are Bible scriptures. The United States as we know it would cease to exist.

I wish I knew what I could do to convince all people that every religion, any of them, is mythological at its base. Their concepts of deity are based on a gross Neanderthal ignorance of the universe. Nothing in any of their holy books holds truth, though they do occasionally give some decent advice about being kind, forgiving, and accepting; you know all the things this administration ignores. Adhering to religious faith above a growing knowledge of the universe, earth, its elements, and its dangers, is the type of foolishness that results in the end of humankind.

Have you ever wondered why humans are the only creatures on the planet who believe in a deity? A 2016 study showed that bonobos not only have more gray matter in the amygdala and insula, regions involved in perceiving emotions in self and others, but they also have a larger pathway linking the amygdala with the anterior cingulate cortex, which is implicated in top-down control of aggressive impulses. Moreover, a study released this past week shows that when bonobos realize they know something human partners don’t, they attempt to communicate and ‘teach’ the human. Great apes don’t rely on mythology, they rely on proven information.

Given that information, who is the lesser species here? Why are we taking governmental instructions from people who not only believe in myths but completely distort them in an effort to extort power?

I grew up thinking that people have a right to believe whatever the fuck they want. I’m no longer of that mind. If what you believe puts other people’s lives in danger, your beliefs are wrong. If what you believe denies established facts, you are wrong. If what you believe diminishes the humanity of others based on gender, sexuality, or perceived race, you are wrong. Period. No excuses.

We can no longer afford to tolerate such ignorance and stupidity, especially in our country’s highest offices. Gay rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. All people, everywhere, have a right to the best medical care available. No one should be dying from the flu!

Fuck Christianity. Fuck all religions. I’d just as soon see every last one of their churches, synagogues, and temples burn to the ground. You are a danger to humanity and to this country. I’m done being tolerant of ignorance. Burn it all to the ground.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Saturday, February 8, 2025

February 8, 2025

Off With Their Heads!

Coffee may not be enough to keep me going this morning. I had wanted to sleep late but Jack Jack, our mane coon mix, decided to not only wake me up at 5:45 AM, but both dogs as well. The dogs woke up and realized they were hungry and needed to poop. Going back to sleep wasn’t an option. My head feels as though it is about to implode. Today shows no sign of being as relaxing as I want.

I’m picking up on a couple of items that may have flown under everyone’s radar in the past 24 hours. Let’s start by acknowledging that Flu season in the US is the most intense it’s been in at least 15 years. This isn’t political so if you go trying to blame one side or the other I’m going to slap you. This year’s flu is bad to the bone, literally. While one can speculate on the effects of climate change being responsible, the bottom line is that flu strains have been growing in strength for a while. If you’re as old as I am, get the damn flu shot. The rest of you, be honest with yourself about how you’re feeling. If you’re showing any signs of the flu, stay the fuck home.

I’m also aware that claims about USAID funding are spreading online. Many are not based on facts. What bothers me most about this situation is that much of the misinformation I’m seeing isn’t coming from this insane federal administration. Instead, it’s the idiots sitting next to us who are spouting lies amidst gleeful vitriol over “burning this hellhole of a country to the ground.” They’ve yet to realize the effect that all the cuts and canceling of services are going to have. By the time the pain starts hitting home, it may be too late to do anything about it.

Sure, there was some rejoicing when a judge blocked Punk from placing thousands of USAID workers on leave and giving them a 30-day deadline. A different Federal judge blocked Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing sensitive US Treasury Department material. However, a US judge declined to block DOGE from Labor Department systems. And late yesterday afternoon, Punk said he’s firing the Kennedy Center board of trustees members and naming himself chairman. No, he does not have the power to do that, but he’s certainly making it an issue.

Both MSNBC and CNN have reported about a defiant letter from someone within the FBI. Here’s the full text of the letter. Please, read it carefully.

Uncommon Sense was a Common Vice

Those with knowledge of the United States Marine Corps will recognize the irony of this title. I wish its words were not true, but as I write this, I believe they are.

Currently, there is an effort to cull a significant number of career Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is an unthinkable action that will gravely undermine the security of the nation well beyond what many of our citizens are aware. For those seeking to raise their awareness, I offer this vignette, free of political bias or moral judgment. It is not about any one person, but an amalgamation of multiple FBI Special Agents.

I am the coach of your child’s soccer team. I sit next to you on occasion in religious devotion. I am a member of the PTA. With friends, you celebrated my birthday. I collected your mail and took out your trash while you were away from home. I played a round of golf with you. I am a veteran. I am the average neighbor in your community. This is who you see and know. However, there is a part of my life that is a mystery to you, and prompts a natural curiosity about my profession.

This is the quiet side of me that you do not know: I orchestrated a clandestine operation to secure the release of an allied soldier held captive by the Taliban. I prevented an ISIS terrorist from boarding a commercial aircraft. I spent 3 months listening to phone intercepts in real time to gather evidence needed to dismantle a violent drug gang. I recruited a source to provide critical intelligence on Russian military activities in Africa. I rescued a citizen being tortured to near death by members of an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. I interceded and stopped a juvenile planning to conduct a school shooting. I spent multiple years monitoring the activities of deep-cover foreign intelligence officers, leading to their arrest and deportation. I endured extensive hardship to infiltrate a global child trafficking organization. I have been shot in the line of duty.

Something else about me, I was assigned to investigate a potential crime. Like all previous cases I have investigated, this one met every legal standard of predication and procedure. Without bias, I upheld my oath to this country and the Constitution and collected the facts. I collected the facts in a manner to neither prove innocence nor guilt, but to arrive at resolution.

I am now sitting in my home, listening to my children play and laugh in the backyard, oblivious to the prospect that their father may be fired in a few days. Fired for conducting a legally authorized investigation. Fired for doing the job that he was hired to do. I have to wonder, when I am gone, who will do the quiet work that is behind the facade of your average neighbor?

How long are we willing to let this mess continue? Why are we ‘waiting to see how it all plays out’ when by the time it all plays out hundreds of thousands of people could be in foreign jails without any access to justice? Why are we content with temporary blocks on illegal power grabs? When Democratic members of Congress were denied access to the Department of Education, why did no one knock down the damn door? Where’s the real anger and outrage?

The entire world is in trouble. Right-wing extremism is growing everywhere and I’m not seeing anyone, anywhere, who has a legitimate chance of stopping it. We’re too content with making phone calls, sending letters, and threatening to vote against people who may not let us vote at all.

This is a call to arms. This is the moment when we have to decide whether we are going to defend our country and our freedoms against fascism and tyranny. That critical moment is here.

THIS is what real resistance looks like:

Prepare the barricades and let’s see who joins in the fight.

Camera / Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Photography

Friday, February 7, 2025

February 7, 2025

More Bark, Toothless Bites.

A chill was back in the air this morning as I took the dogs out for their morning poop. A stiff wind out of the North hints at chances of freezing rain over the weekend. Our dogs can be aggressive and of late, that aggressiveness has increased some, mostly from Belvedere, the English Hound. He doesn’t like cars—any of them. He’ll stand in the yard when we’re out in the afternoon and voice his displeasure. He’s quiet when we’re out in the morning, though. He seems to understand that no one wants to hear his voice when it’s still dark. The dog understands more about getting along with neighbors than some people do.

ABC News seems to be the only major news outlet addressing a memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yesterday warning that cameras made in China could be ‘spying’ on the US. I laughed. From the moment they were invented, cameras have been used by almost every nation to spy on others, including their own people. We didn’t need digital cameras for that, nor did we need internet-connected cameras. As far back as WWII, miniaturized cameras were used to convey troop movements and other aspects of war. Nothing is going on that hasn’t been happening for decades.

What the memo specifically warns about are cameras that are ‘internet-connected.’ Again, I laughed. Cameras don’t just connect to the nearest Internet signal on their own. They have to be manually connected to a specific and the camera has to be turned on. This has been a feature on digital cameras for a couple of decades now. I never use it because it’s a pain in the ass to set up and the benefits are negligible if one isn’t close to a connected laptop or other computer. No photographer just walks around with the camera turned on, either, because a) it kills battery life, and b) most cameras automatically turn off if they’ve not been used for more than a minute or two.

There’s also the fact that few legitimate US photographers use Chinese gear. Canon, Sony, and Nikon still dominate the US market. I couldn’t even think of a Chinese brand. When I dug around a bit, I found this list of the ten most popular cameras made in China. I’ve not heard of nor encountered any of them. These are the brands I might expect to find on the bottom shelf of a ‘discount’ electronics store. They’re made largely of plastic and the quality of the glass is questionable at best. It would be a really lousy spy or a really shitty photographer who would use one of these brands.

This begs the question: why release such a useless memo? Only ABC News took the bait. Everyone else ignored it because it was meaningless. Granted, over the past three weeks, we’ve seen dozens of meaningless memos from various government agencies. Most are performative, at best, and some read as though they were written by children, which, in this administration, is quite possible. Many have been rescinded within twenty-four hours of being released.

What this memo has the potential to do, however, is make life difficult for legitimate photographers, especially photojournalists. I remember how it felt in the days immediately following 9/11, especially in New York. Simply taking my camera out of its bag on a street corner was enough to cause people to not only stare but contact the nearest beat cop. I frequently had to explain myself, though only once did it ever cause any problem (another story for another time). Now, everyone’s cell phone has a camera stronger than I had back then, and cell phones are connected to networks by default but no one bats an eye. Photojournalists, however, rarely rely on their cell phones to get the best shots. A good camera with a 200mm to 500mm zoom stands out and tends to indicate that the person holding the device knows what they’re doing (not always the case). From my perspective, the only purpose I can see in this memo is to make photojournalists targets. Yes, it’s insane, but then, so are most of the memos and edicts we’ve seen handed down the past three weeks. Sanity is not this administration’s strong suit.

There are also signs of a pushback against the illegal aspects of the administration’s overreach. A Judge temporarily blocked the Punk’s plan offering incentives for federal workers to resign. 13 states sued over DOGE access to government payment systems containing personal data. The US border czar blames leaks for hindering immigration raids in Colorado suburbs. Egypt lobbies against Punk’s plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians. Iran’s supreme leader says US talks ‘not intelligent, wise or honorable,’ Members of the U.S. House Progressive Caucus held a news conference on Thursday vowing to fire Elon Musk. There is finally some action from Democrats, but there’s still plenty of room for them to step up and do something. Anything. Just don’t expect it to happen this weekend.

Yeah, I’m aware of the hilarious (sort of) order to fight ‘anti-Christian bias.’ I’m fairly sure the only thing that order will achieve is increasing the anti-Christian bias that the church itself has created through its neverending hypocrisy. This is the Punk’s attempt to keep a dwindling evangelical movement at his side. There will ultimately be a First Amendment clash over this.

We’re going into a weekend where more people would rather complain about the dominance of the Eagles and Chiefs rather than the government. There will be tons of expensive chicken wings devoured and more than a little beer spilled. Ads will most likely be disappointing (from what I’ve seen so far). Monday could be designated as ‘National Hangover Day.’

This is a good time to be kind to yourself. Go ahead and take that nap. Indulge in your favorite comfort foods if you can. Read a good book. For all the danger we’re in, even the nut jobs in DC have trouble competing with the Super Bowl. Relax for a minute. We’ll have plenty to address next week.

Enjoy the coffee.

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Monday, February 03, 2025

February 3, 2025

You’re Going To Feel A Little Pinch

Image credit: Bruce MacKinnon for Halifax Chronicle Herald

Another Monday is here and, to be totally honest, there’s so much in my news feeds this morning that I’m tempted just to throw up my hands and walk away. I’m not, because talking about all this shit is probably the only thing keeping me marginally sane. I know a lot of people have stopped reading/watching the news, but I can’t do that. If I’m going to be mowed down by an out-of-control government, I want to see it coming. I may not be able to stop the inevitable, but I’m not going to close my eyes and pretend it isn’t happening.

At the same time, I have to pay attention to what’s going on right around me. Kat was almost in a car accident over the weekend and when I say ‘almost’ I mean that her instinctive reflexes were the only thing that prevented her from being involved. She was on I-465N, in the middle lane, with a Jeep to her left, and a semi to her right. Traffic on that part of I-465 typically runs around 65 mph but apparently, that just wasn’t fast enough for a blue car that came up from behind the Jeep and hit it, knocking the Jeep into the semi. Kat had smelled burning rubber from the approaching car and slowed down. Had she been the slightest bit more forward, the Jeep would have hit her and knocked her into the semi. Physically, she was unharmed, but she spent the rest of the weekend fighting the emotions from the near miss.

Against that backdrop, I’m fighting against my own anger in an attempt to find words that are coherent and meaningful. I spent much of yesterday in bed with the phone and computer off. When I did come up for air (and food), I was disgusted by most of what I saw. I’m increasingly seeing less and less of an option for survival that doesn’t involve killing people. I don’t like those options, but in a me vs. them situation, I’m choosing me and my family. I’m afraid that’s going to force me into some decisions that I don’t want to make, but we can’t repeat the mistakes Germans made as the Nazis took over their country. If we do that, none of us survive.

Among the most disturbing of headlines this morning:

USAID staffers were told to stay out of Washington headquarters after Musk said Felonious Punk agreed to close it. 600 workers reported being locked out overnight. This is highly illegal, but no one in law enforcement has the guts to do anything about it.
Punk wants to undo diversity programs. Some agencies react by scrubbing US history and culture. What this means in the long term is that parents have to teach history and culture at home. Start buying the books now because they may not be available within a few months.
Global shares slip as worries grow about Punk’s tariffs. The markets haven’t opened in the US, but they have in other places around the world and it’s not looking good. Expect a severe sell-off when the US markets open. Yes, your 401K is going to take a hit. You might want to consider other options.
Punk plans to invoke obscure 18th-century wartime law in a bid for mass deportations. The law would allow for mass deportations without the benefit of a court hearing. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, intended to be used only in times of war, allows for the deportation of anyone involved in an “invasion or predatory incursion.”
In Panama, Marco Rubio Escalates Confrontation Over Canal. Shoring up the US’s position as a global bully, the Secretary of State threatened to “intervene” if Panama doesn’t make it more difficult for Chinese ships to pass through the locks.

The headline infuriating me the most, however, is Punk says Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from tariffs as he threatens more import taxes. We could feel some pain? This isn’t like we’re sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for an injection of some kind. In fact, I have to say that as often as I get stuck by a needle, nurses have become amazingly good at minimizing the pain of a needle going into one’s arm. I find it absolutely insulting that he expects the American people to endure ‘some pain’ while he and his billionaire buddies sit back and reap the profits. Too many American people have been hurting for too long, going all the way back to Punk’s first administration. This is a level of egotistical bullshit that no one should tolerate.

Oh, but there’s still more. A bill to eliminate OSHA has been Introduced in the House of Representatives. Say goodbye to those nasty regulations that require things such as handrails on staircases, fire escapes in multi-story buildings, fire suppression systems, and all the other things that keep one from dying while they’re at work. I would like to think that there’s no chance of this bill making it out of committee, but remember that we’re dealing with gang warfare here. Republicans that don’t support bills backed by the administration are threatened with being challenged in the primaries next year. To a one, they’re fallingn in line, goose-stepping all the way to hell.

THEN, Rep. Thomas Massie Reintroduces H.R. 899 to Abolish the Federal Department of Education. We saw this one coming. It was part of Punk’s stump speech in the runup to the election. People voted for him anyway. If you thought there was any way it wouldn’t happen, think again. Education is under attack on every government level. Fewer children will have access to quality education and fewer schools will teach anything beyond the basic skills necessary to make them worker slaves in the coming regime.

You know it’s a bad day when even the Assistant Director of the FBI’s New York field office tells agents there that they are ‘at war.’ This explains why they’re not doing anything to stop the onslaught of crimes against the country; they’re too busy having to save their jobs! Don’t think for a moment that this wasn’t part of the plan coming into this administration. By taking law enforcement out of the picture, there’s no one left to stop them.

Over on r/AskHistorians subreddit, someone asked the question, “How long did it take for (1) it to be hard to leave the country and (2) most people to start starving in Nazi-controlled Europe after Hitler took over?” The primary answer is worth sharing.

That answer depends entirely on who you were.

The Nazis were keenly aware that widespread hunger in the population led to the defeat in 1918, so they did everything they could to prevent the German population from starving too much. Poor Germans were chronically undernourished, the rest did okay-ish, all luxuries were more and more cut off. Germans did better than other Europeans by starving other countries to death.

1944/45 was a hunger winter, but in general the worst starvation for Germans was the hunger winter of 1946. ’46 had polar vortex conditions in a bombed out country with no shelter and no heating materials. People died of exposure and hunger.

It took a few years post-war to stabilize the food in Germany and elsewhere. For example: The UK didn’t come off rations until 1954, partially, because they were also feeding the German population in the British zone.

If you were French, Dutch, rations were stricter than in Germany since the beginning of their respective invasions. Aryanness had its perks and a non-aryan couldn’t do better than them. Hunger was definitely a weapon and the Dutch almost starved to death in ’43, but due to a confluence of factors continued starving post-Market Garden ’44. Food stabilized in ’45. So, it really is different from country to country.

If you were slavic, you fell under Generalplan Ost which stated that you will be starved to death and the food used to feed Germans. Except for the Polish and Czech, who would be starved, but kept alive enough for slave labor.

In general food was a problem for the middle and working class throughout the war.

If you were Jewish, your mobility was slowly curtailed. Part of the problem was that money and assets were frozen by Eichmann around the Austrian occupation and other countries don’t like destitute migrants. So while people still left, it was mostly people with means.

After the pogrom in November 1938 it was kind of your final chance to get out, but it involved money and luck and it wasn’t easy. As of the invasion of Poland, it was game over. All exits were closed for Jews. ETA: Pardon, 1941, when the Holocaust was decided was game over. That order halting migration came in October and the conference was in January 1942. However, between ’39 to ’41 it was extremely difficult to leave.

If you were of a nationality which was not slated for death-through-starvation, annihilation, or slave labor, you could move through Europe as long as those nations let you through.

There are also many people in the public, embassies and even in the highest Nazi admin offices who helped forge passports for Jews, who transported Jewish kids on trains to safety, who saved the Jews of Denmark by leaking the plans and then sabotaging harbor patrol, by nannies hiding kids, and in the case of Schindler, saved a list of workers in Auschwitz.

Historians now believe that the resistance of the public by refusing to come apathetic and the small time admin and clerks refusing or sabotaging lists, would have prevented a lot of deaths. We know nothing happened to police officers who refused to shoot Jews in Eastern Europe as part of the Holocaust, for example.

Some sources: Aly Götz for how Nazis bought the compliance of Germans with stolen goods; the cohort around Tim Snyder on Generalplan Ost (Mark Mazower, Hitler’s Empire), ushmm on Denmark https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/denmark, Hannah Arendt on Eichmann and how the small time administrator did the most evil, Browning on policebattalion 101.

We have to resist. Even small actions make a difference. In last Friday’s post I have a link to a booklet from WWII that was used to sabotage the Germans. I find it largely appropriate now and strongly encourage everyone to read it. Many of the methods require very little effort, which is, sadly, what most people are willing to give. Don’t give in to the fear. Be angry. Be decisive. Be protective. We can still prevent the worst from happening.

Just don’t forget the coffee.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / Nature / News & Comment / Personal / science

Thursday, January 30, 2025

January 30, 2025

Watch Out For That Rabbit Hole!

Blue-skinned alien figure walking along a beach at sunset

One of the worst things to do to my brain is to feed it a headline without context. Within seconds, my mind creates its own context, then proceeds to take that context out of context and head off down rabbit holes from which there is no return. The first partial headline I saw this morning, just at a glance as I was getting dressed, read, “Are we all aliens?” As I snapped the last button on my shirt, my brain began singing Petra’s 1983 song, “We are aliens. We are strangers. We are not of this world.” The song is based loosely on I Peter 2:11, which uses a similar phrasing but is in conflict with Ephesians 2:19 which specifically says that we are not strangers and aliens, both of which have issues with I Chronicles 29:15, which claims that our ancestors were “aliens and pilgrims before you.” This was one of those times when having all that Bible stuck in my head could be a problem.

Oh, but then my brain jumps completely out of context while I’m outside with the dogs and somehow, “We are aliens” becomes “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from the musical Gypsy, but specifically the version sung by the late Ethel Merman. Why? Because I’m just that old. As my brain is singing, “You’ll be swell, you’ll be great, Gonna have the whole world on a plate!” Belvedere walks around the side of the house with a large paper plate in his mouth. I asked him if he had the whole world on that plate. He put the plate down and looked up at me as if to say, “I ate that part. Can we have breakfast now?”

Hound dogs; they’re always hungry.

The story on everyone’s mind this morning is the collision of an American Airlines regional jet with a military helicopter at Ronald Reagan Airport just before 9:00 last night. I saw the alert come across as I was getting ready for bed last night, but the event was too new for there to be any detail. What we know this morning is that the plane, which originated in Wichita, KS, was carrying members of the US Figure Skating team, their families, friends, and coaches. Officials are warning that the precise number of victims is unclear as rescue crews hunt for survivors. One headline I saw claimed there were at least 19 fatalities, but crews are still searching the Potmomac and no names have been officially released.

This is the first major aircraft collision in the US in almost 16 years. There are going to be a lot of questions over the next several days stretching into months and possibly years. Did the president’s firing of the head of TSA last week have any impact? Was there a shortage of aircraft controllers in the Ronald Reagan Tower? Who was given permission to enter the airspace first?

A 2023 article in the NYTimes claimed that near misses between commercial aircraft happen more often than people realize. FAA Data Reveals 1100 Runway Near Misses in 2024. This raises the inevitable question of who the fuck’s in charge? Expect a lot of finger-pointing as no one wants that responsibility laid at their feet.

Last May, we had an older couple park on our lawn for the 500. He was a retired aircraft controller who had been in that job since Ronald Reagan (yeah, the same guy for whom the airport is named) fired all the nation’s controllers for attempting to go on strike. I asked him if all the horror stories I’d heard were true. He confirmed them and more. Burnout among controllers is high. They are overworked, undertrained, and under constant pressure to work longer hours. They are inherently aware that they hold the lives of thousands of people in their hands as they guide aircraft across tarmacs. While English is the default language, many pilots don’t understand it that well and miscommunications are common. Equipment frequently breaks down, especially at night when there are no maintenance people available. While flying has always been considered one of the safest modes of transportation, he explained that it is a mixture of miracles and hard work that has prevented more accidents from occurring.

I know that for many people, last night’s collision is a tragic break from the neverending political horrors being shoved down our throats. Ten days in, we’re tired of the nonsense from this administration already. One can safely assume at this point that every decision made in the White House is unconstitutional and is going to have a significant legal fight ahead of it.

As I’m typing, an alert just came through my phone saying that 27 bodies have been recovered and all are feared dead.

You know, if the base DNA material that allowed life to develop on this planet is foreign, that could explain why this planet is always trying to kill us; it sees humans as a disease that needs to be eradicated. That would so easily justify the high number of biological elements that conflict with our health and well-being. We get cancer and are susceptible to plagues because our DNA was never designed for this planet.

But if we came from stardust, then it may well be that we leave the same way. Another headline well below the fold this morning warns that a newly spotted asteroid has a tiny chance of hitting Earth in 2032. This news isn’t as ‘new’ as one might think. Astronomers have been watching this thing for a while, concerned that its potential path might bring it close enough to Earth’s orbit that a collision would be inevitable. The chances for severe damage currently sit at about 1%. They could drop to zero in the next few weeks. Still, it’s interesting to ponder the possibility that the same type of event that allowed us to form on this planet could be what takes us all out.

Rabbit holes. Damnit. Kronk, aka Pinball, just crawled up in my lap, put his head in my hand, and closed his eyes. I think that means I’m done typing for the morning. We have naps to take and more rabbit holes to explore.

And coffee. Must drink the coffee.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

January 28, 2025

Immigrants or Refugees?

Photo of three Native American women with the caption, "We are not immigrants"

One day in the future, after we’re long gone and our names are forgotten, the remaining remnants of humanity will look back on this time in history and ask, “What the fuck did they think they were doing?” The horrors of this present reality give us a myopic view of our situation. We can’t conceive of everything going on, much less fight against it, because our vision is obstructed by the crimes being committed in front of our eyes. Our brains have difficulty processing a fraction of the news, which is exactly how Felonious Punk wants it.

Each morning for the past week, I’ve awakened to a list of headlines and have to ask myself the question, “Where do I start?” I’m spending more time reading the news now than I think I have since I was on the debate team in high school. Kronk, aka Pinball, curls up in my arms and we rock back and forth as I quietly repeat the mantra, “We’re going to be okay,” over and over. Eventually, even the cat doesn’t believe what I’m saying and leaps down to find a less disturbing place to nap.

Taking the dogs outside each morning gives me a unique perspective on our neighborhood. I see where the lights are on as people get ready to leave for work. I notice how many cars are in the driveways. I observe changes in the population with a certain amount of curiosity and concern. In this neighborhood, people rarely leave because their lives have suddenly gotten better. When people move, it tends to be because their lives have been turned upside down. Loss of employment, divorce, and the ill health of a relative are among the top reasons for turnover.

Now, we can add fear to that list. On Sunday, I mentioned a nearby multigenerational family. The elder generation has owned their home for over 30 years. They’re all US citizens, but they’re afraid. So afraid, that over the weekend, the adult children and grandchildren packed everything up and moved. The yard that was once full of cars is now empty. Only Dad’s old work van sits in the drive. The chickens are gone. The toys are gone. I’m not even sure that the elder women are still there. I’ve not seen them, just Dad. I don’t know where they’ve gone, but I know they were all scared.

Two doors down in the other direction sits a rental house that, until last week, was occupied by four young Latino men. Now, that number is down to two. I have some rapport with them, so I asked where they’d gone. The answer was predictable. “They’re like everyone else, man, scared of ICE. They’ve got their papers but no one feels like that’s enough, you know?”

Yesterday afternoon, Jenn sent me a text, “If you haven’t already seen, look up Buu Nygran’s statement to/for the Navajo Nation. There have been reports of native people being harassed by ICE.” That one hadn’t popped up in my alerts yet (it would later), so I took to searching. Sure enough, there it was: Navajo Nation leaders raise alarm over reports of Indigenous people being questioned and detained during immigration sweeps. In the past week, at least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have been stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement, and asked to produce proof of citizenship. In at least one case, a woman says she was eventually permitted to use her cell phone and text family members, who sent her a photo of her Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB). Only then was she allowed to leave.

Is this racist? Oh hell, yeah! Legally, any of the following qualifies as proof of citizenship:

Birth certificate: Issued by the state, county, or city of birth, this document should include the applicant’s name, date of birth, place of birth, and the names of their parents. It should also have the registrar’s signature, the date it was filed, and the seal or stamp of the issuing authority.
Naturalization certificate: Issued to people who became U.S. citizens after age 18 through naturalization.
U.S. passport: A valid or expired U.S. passport is proof of citizenship.
Certificate of citizenship: Issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to people who became U.S. citizens through birth, naturalization, or other means.
Enhanced REAL-ID license: This license can also be used as proof of U.S. citizenship.
U.S. passport card: A wallet-sized, plastic card that serves as proof of citizenship and identity.

Do you see any mention of a CDIB? No. Does every Indigenous person have a CDIB? No, and there’s a damn good reason why. A CDIB requires that someone in one’s ancestral lineage have a Dawes roll number. The Dawes Act of 1887 was the redistribution of Tribal lands that eventually led to the mass removal of Indigenous people from their native place of residence, a horrible experience we know as the Trail of Tears. As many as 4,000 Indigenous people died on that trip to Oklahoma.

I don’t have a CDIB or a Dawes roll number. No one in our family does or ever has. My mother was very clear as to why. The initial ‘accounting’ of tribal members was what allowed them to be rounded up by government troops under the authority of President Andrew Jackson. After settling in what is now Southeastern Oklahoma, my mother’s great-grandparents decided that there was no way in hell they were going to let themselves be moved like that again. They refused to sign the rolls, and at times even refused to identify as Cherokee to avoid the overt racism and oppression that came with the label.

Even now, the Cherokee are learning that they are better off taking care of themselves rather than participating too strongly in the federal government. Just this past week, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins, Jr. proposed the construction and creation of a new Cherokee Nation Justice Center based in Tahlequah, OK. This would allow tribe members to receive a level of justice that respects their culture without treating them like foreigners on their own land. This is a massive step forward for all Indigenous peoples. I can’t help but believe that the Spirit of the late Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller smiles approvingly on this proposal. She would be quite happy to see the tribe extending its independence in such a manner.

The problem is that not all the tribes are as organized and self-governing as the Cherokee, the Dakota, and Diné/Navajo. Some tribes, such as the once great Sac and Fox, are all but gone. The Pottowatamie and Miami people that once dominated what is now Indiana are scattered and unorganized. Even the great Choctaw nation lacks the same level of tribal governance as their Cherokee neighbors. That leaves their members at the mercy of a racist federal organization that looks first at skin color and reacts based on a split-second judgment rather than actual evidence.

It’s not that this immigration crackdown is without resistance. Quakers sued the federal government yesterday over whether immigration officians can enter a house of worship to detain and remove immigrants. Quakers strongly believe that they are required to accept and protect anyone who comes to them. While I’m not immediately aware of any Latinx or Indigenous Quaker groups, the point still stands that places of worship have always been able to provide sanctuary to anyone who needs it, regardless of the country or its laws.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials in Hamilton County, IN, just to the North of Indy, announced yesterday that they are forming an Immigration Commission for the express purpose of working with ICE and other immigration officials. They’re claiming that this is a ‘public safety’ issue, but everyone who is familiar with the county that’s home to such restrictive enclaves as Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville know damn good and well that this is pure racism. This has been the case as long as I’ve lived up here (20 years in April). Driving through Carmel for the first time, I couldn’t help asking the question, “Where are all the non-white people?” The truth is, many people of color stay away from Hamilton County for fear of being profiled, stopped, and arrested on imaginary charges. I can’t begin to count the number of people I know who refuse to work in the county for fear that they’ll be stopped either going to or coming from their place of employment. Here, ‘Immigration Crackdown’ is nothing more than a cover for the severe racism that has made the county infamous.

At the same time, the idiotic piece of trash that serves as Oklahoma’s Education Secretary proposed an ordinance yesterday that would require parents to prove citizenship when enrolling their children in school. Oklahoma City Public Schools, one of the state’s largest districts with a hispanic student population of 57%, promptly announced that under no circumstances would they enforce the measure, even if it makes its way through the state legislature. The Constitution guarantees that all children recieve a public education. There are no caveats to that law, anywhere, ever.

This morning, newly-installed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took part in an immigration enforcement operation in New York City. Are we surprised? Not really. One might even consider it an improvement over Dr. Phil being imbedded with ICE raids in Chicago. Yeah, that really happened. That whole ‘nice guy’ thing on Dr. Phil’s TV show was just an act. He’s as racist as the rest of them.

Yes, I’m throwing the word racist around quite a bit. Reality check: What is now known as the United States was initially settled by a group of religious extremists who, from the moment they set foot off the Mayflower, saw the Indigenous people here as ‘savages’. They had no moral problem with stealing their land and murdering them by the thousands. They even passed laws to justify their racism. The United States has always been racist. There has never been a moment in its history where they weren’t racist. Immigration is simply the latest excuse for people of purely European decent to attempt justification for their imperialistic motives.

It was a little before 6:00 last evening when Kat messaged me, “G is trying to get home.” He had fallen asleep on the bus and missed his stop by about three miles. When he did get off the bus and tried catching one coming back this direction, it promptly broke down, as IndyGo buses often do. He decided he’d walk the bus route in an attempt to get home.

I panicked. It was dark and cold. I don’t have a vehicle. I can’t drive (I bump into things). I don’t have enough cash in my bank account to send him an Uber or Lift. There was nothing I could do to keep him safe. Kat and Tipper were having some mother/daughter time downtown. They quickly pulled their things together and took off to try and find G.

G’s phone died. He has a mobile power bank, but even that takes some time to charge the phone once it’s dead. When he finally could, he called his mom and told her where he was. He was going to wrong direction! He was already another mile further from home than when he started! Kat sent him some money and told him to wait at a nearby Starbucks until she could get to him.

Was he ever in any danger? He had walked across the 38th street bridge that crosses I-465. Even in daylight, that’s a frightening experience. Add the fact that it was dark and he wears a large black coat with the hood up and his headphones on, and I think most parents can appreciate my concern. Now, toss in the current atmosphere where people get stopped without reason. I was deeply relieved when he finally came crashing through the back door.

This whole ‘immigration crackdown’ thing is nothing more than yet another attempt on the part of the federal government to justify the racism that has been systemic from the very beginning. It’s not only illegal, but immoral in every way thinkable. That any member of the government, let alone the president, would support such a policy is a reflective of the European imperialistic mindset that destroys every vibrant and colorful culture it encounters.

WE ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS. Our ancestors lived on this land some 60,000 years before the first European ever knew that the land existed! The federal government has neither warrant nor reason to detain, question, remove, or oppress Indigenous peoples from any part of North America. That many South American cultures are extensions of the same people that settled North America pulls them into the same population for whom this land is a birthright.

Europeans are the migrants. If they don’t like us being here, they are more than welcome to go back where they came from. I’m sure the Air Force still has plenty of handcuffs for the ride back.

Current Issues / Health / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Sunday, January 26, 2025

January 26, 2025

Being About The Land.

With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, I’m going to assign you some extra reading. You don’t necessarily need to do so right at this moment, but given that it’s Sunday and you likely didn’t have anything better planned, this seems like a good time to cover some things I simply don’t have time to write about. I try to keep morning updates between 300-1,000 words. If I go over 1,000 words, which I did three times this past week, it gets labeled as a ‘long read.’ Think of this as the background reading you might do before a college lecture.

Any of those articles are worthy of their own commentary and exploration, but I only have one post in me per day anymore. The need for brevity is not pleasant. I’m a strong advocate of long-form writing. Brains don’t retain headlines. To understand the world and the things going on in it requires volumes of information from multiple sources. Please, take the time to read and share. Sharing this post and its related articles helps keep others informed as well.

Just about the time I think I have a grip on my life and everything going on around it something always comes up and puts me back in bed. If previous experience is any indicator, I’ll be getting in extra mattress time for the next two weeks or so. Somewhere in there, we should have a biopsy for that three-centimeter nodule on my left thyroid. At least, it was only three centimeters two years ago; we’re hoping the damn thing didn’t grow. The ‘luxury’ of this time is that I get to lie there and ponder deeply the many challenges we’re facing. Our house isn’t being bombed. We’re not forced to relocate (yet). Compared to much of the rest of the world, we’re reasonably safe. However, recent events indicate we should take on a preparedness approach that is more aggressive than what we’ve done in the past.

In the past, I’ve looked at survivalists as some form of doomsday extremists. Kat’s mom has a survivalist thread to her cloth and we quietly laugh about her stockpile of dried foods and meals-ready-to-eat (MREs). She’s not as severe as those who build deep bunkers and have enough water stored to get them through nuclear fallout, but she takes the matter seriously and keeps her rations fresh. Given the events of this past week, I’m beginning to think that she’s not as reactionary as we’ve believed. Perhaps taking on more of a survivalist mindset would serve us all well.

Fueling the survivalist thoughts this morning are Felonious Punk’s comments aboard Air Force One about emptying Gaza of all Palestinians. Never mind that these people have occupied this territory for at least 6,000 years, arguably longer. Once nomadic tribes have settled down in recent centuries, built cities, hospitals, and schools. They have contributed to science, philosophy, and mathematics. They have homes and a deep, vibrant culture. And along comes the American Idiot who wants to ignore all that and make them all move. Obviously, he has no respect for people, their lives, and their history.

The same applies in our own country. Videos of the Tuskegee Airmen and women WWII pilots have been scrapped from Air Force training. The unconstitutional push to end birthright citizenship. The ridiculous assault on immigrants. People of sound mind would never consider the obliteration of history, culture, and civilization that is being pushed by this White House.

Across the street and one house to our North resides a multigenerational Latinx family. There are four generations living together in a three-bedroom house. Everyone works. By 7:00 each morning, they are all gone to various jobs, the babies to daycare. They come home and they keep working. They keep chickens that provide them with both meat and eggs. Everyone has a different assignment: cooking, cleaning, laundry, caring for the babies (of which there are now three). They own their house. The elder generation has lived there over 30 years. They are all US citizens. Yet, they are concerned that this administration might attempt to deport them.

For current generations, the future has never been more uncertain. We thought we were safe. We thought the Russians were the biggest threat to our lifestyle. We never considered that half of us would elect a brainless demagogue who has no respect for any of us. Today, there is no life in the United States that is not in danger, not from outside military forces, but from our own government.

One of the big issues during last year’s election was the price of eggs. One of the campaign promises that got Felonious Punk elected was that he’d bring those prices down. One week in, egg prices have gone up and so have other items such as insulin. The California Farm Bureau says fears in the Central Valley have led to migrant farm workers not showing up for work. This will result in higher food prices and a lower quality of life. Without access to affordable food, disease rates will increase.

Put all this together and it becomes clear that we need to, in the short term at least, take on a more survivalist mindset to how we live. One of the topics I think we need to revisit is gardening. Our last attempt, six or seven years ago, was an absolute disaster. We can’t even get weeds to grow in that part of the lawn now. What I’m thinking now is that we were on the wrong side of the house. Grass on the East side of the house grows significantly faster and thicker than anywhere else. That tells me that the soil there is, for whatever reason, more suitable for growing things. A garden might stand a chance of taking off.

Gardening with a survivalist mindset is significantly different from gardening for the pleasure of it, though. More thought has to be given to which crops produce the highest yield for the longest amount of time. Nutrient-dense vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, and spinach move to the top of the list. High-calorie crops, such as corn, beans, and squash, offer a significant energy source, which is important if we’re having to fight to survive. Plants like basil, oregano, echinacea, and chamomile can flavor your meals and provide natural remedies for various ailments. True survivalists look at perennial plants as well, but given Kat’s and my health concerns, I’m not sure planning that far into the future is worthwhile.

Survivalist gardening comes with its own challenges, starting with the amount of work that has to be put into making such a garden flourish. Working in the garden is relaxing for some people, but a survivalist garden pays attention to production rates and that means getting in there and giving plants the absolute best environment for growth. That takes a lot of time starting well before anything is planted. One has to pay attention to how things are arranged and planted, such as pole beans and tomatoes. The East side of our house gets more afternoon shade, so that becomes a factor as well. Do we have the energy that it takes to produce this type of garden? We may not have a choice. This could be a matter of survival.

Another challenge is what to do with everything one grows. Canning is a time-honored tradition in many homes and is great for preserving foods so that they’re available out of season. Have you ever tried canning, though? It’s hard work, takes an intense amount of time, and always carries with it the chance one might blow up the whole kitchen. Once the canning is done, one needs a place to store all the jars. We already don’t have enough space as it is! Where we would put everything is a serious concern.

Then, there are the dogs. For a long time, Kat has wanted to raise chickens. From a survivalist point of view, that’s a good idea. We could rather easily build a chicken coop along the South fence line. However, chickens have a bad habit of escaping from their coops, and dogs like ours have a bad habit of invading them. The garden would also need strong fencing to keep the dogs out. We didn’t do that with our last garden and I’m sure that’s one of the many reasons it failed.

While there are ways to meet most of those challenges, the answers tend to be expensive and money is another one of the things that we don’t have in abundance. The raw costs of fencing, fertilizer, and ground prep create a heavy row of red ink across the spreadsheet of profitability. Without a lot of hard work and high produce yield, there’s not much of an ROI in such a venture. Still, as the availability of food becomes more scarce and the prices continue to climb, by summer gardening may be the only way most people have of affording food.

We are fortunate to have enough space where gardening is even an option. People living in apartments have fewer choices and are likely to not be able to produce the amount of food their family needs. Community gardens can be an answer to that problem, but such planning needs to have already started and I’m afraid a large number of people won’t see the danger until their pantries are empty.

The challenges being thrust upon us are severe and unknown to current generations. We all thought was were well past the pioneer days of 150 or so years ago, yet here we are, needing to grow our own food and not certain that we won’t have to relocate later. While fighting the fascism of this administration is critical, we also have to give space to the need to survive in the here and now. If we only focus on one, we lose the battle for the other. The journey of the next four years is going to be exhausting even for healthy people, and Kat and I are not healthy.

As G considers his educational options, he’s leaning toward an option that would provide him with vocational training in construction or HVAC in addition to his normal coursework. Transportation is the biggest issue there as the nearest facility is in Fishers, where the buses don’t go. Still, with all the challenges of the future, he’s not wrong in thinking that one can’t count on a single form of employment being enough. A 40-hour workweek becomes irrelevant when one needs multiple jobs to survive.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here in pain, struggling to breathe, and feeling envious of all the animals sleeping on my bed. There is a significant part of me that wants to give up.

There’s also a significant part of me that wants a waffle.

We’re going to need more coffee.

Health / Long Read / News & Comment / science / Social Commentary

Saturday, January 25, 2025

January 25, 2025

Some Things Are Satire

There is a lot of ‘stuff’ I could talk about, but it would take me forever to type it and I’m not sure my body is going to give me the grace to sit upright for that long. I’ll do what I can today and we can continue the conversation tomorrow. During my doctor’s visit yesterday, I was given a flu shot and the first half of the shingles vaccine. Kat reminded me last night that I’m older than the last time I received those shots. My body isn’t up to fighting as hard. I know, not everyone thinks vaccines work. There are some pretty nasty side effects if you don’t stay on schedule, though. My stamina is going to take a hit for the next couple of weeks.

Another concern is that Americans are becoming bored with being outraged. Felonious Punk has been in office less than a week and already, the NYTimes is declaring that the era of ‘Hyperpolitics’ is gone, and with it the whole concept of Resistance. Fellow Okie and deep thinker Krista Trippet wrote in this morning’s “On Being” post, “The news that is, as we say ‘breaking,’ is never seeing things whole.” She encourages us to take a deeper look and consider the aspects of deeper time, much as a geologist views the world. She writes, “It is harder for us to train our eyes and imaginations on the beauty and creativity that are so alive in our world, the generative learning and stretching that are underway. These realities of our time are most visible close to home, in the worlds that we can see and touch. They are quiet. They do not trip the fear center of our brains, which inclines us to attend more seriously in every moment to what feels dangerous and destructive. And, in our time, that narrative of danger and destruction comes to us a thousand times, a thousand ways, each day.”

That “narrative of danger and destruction” was a hard slap in the face this morning. It’s bad enough that a drunken serial abuser is now in charge of the Department of Defence. Our new Secretary of State has already been warned by China to watch his step. The pause on foreign aid could threaten the distribution of lifesaving drugs. The ban on gender research puts NIH programs at risk. The shutdown of the federal diversity office at the National Science Foundation breaks the law that created it. In all the places that actually matter to our lives, there is fear, uncertainty, and panic. Should the planet be struck with another pandemic, our lack of international cooperation places us among the most vulnerable, and most likely to die.

There’s also the false narrative being pushed by the White House. The Associated Press is one of the few outlets still fact-checking the lies and misdirection coming from the talking mouths in Washington. There seems to be little regard for what is true or factual. Without anyone doing fact-checking anymore, lies and conspiracies run rampant across all forms of social media and far too many people are believing all the wrong stories.

Meanwhile, 2024 US home sales hit the lowest level in nearly 30 years with ownership increasingly out of reach.

Part of me still wants to scream “FIGHT BACK!” but in the rare moment of sanity, I have to admit that going to war against a well-funded and reasonably trained government is a fool’s game. Even if I gathered all my neighbors together and armed them well, the government has a history of bombing the fuck out of neighborhoods it doesn’t like (think Tulsa and Philadelphia). It would be naive to think such horrors won’t happen again.

Perhaps the best move for any of us is to take a more defensive position. We don’t need to go charging against ICE to be effective, all we have to do is wait for them to come to us and then stonewall. We don’t know any undocumented people. We haven’t seen anyone illegal in the neighborhood. Post “Private Property” signs on every side of your house. Get big dogs that don’t like uniforms (we have two, and the UPS guy is their sworn enemy). ICE can only operate in public areas without a warrant. Reduce the number of ‘public’ areas and we reduce the number of places where they can catch people off guard.

Already, a New Jersey ICE raid has detained a US veteran and citizens, according to the town’s mayor. Such events are only going to grow in size and number. Are any of us safe? Is carrying a driver’s license enough or do we need to carry copies of our birth certificates to prove our citizenship?

What protections do we all need to take? Since my general inclination is to avoid conflict at all costs, I feel ill-prepared to potentially have to confront anyone, especially an authority figure brazen enough to violate the Constitution. If we’re going to ‘stand up’ against the crimes of this administration, then we need to take some precautions to protect ourselves. So, I decided to take a page from those who’ve never trusted the government and look at tactical gear that makes sense for people like you and me.

Let’s start with basic chest protection. Be aware that not all tactical vests are created equal. You want a plate carrier that can handle the right size of protective plates to keep you safe. Looking around, I think this Shellback Tactical Banshee Plate Carrier is probably a good starting point. Click here for more info.

Plate carriers are useless if you don’t have plates in them. The challenge is knowing which plate is best for you. WARNING: DO NOT USE METAL PLATES! METAL PLATES ARE FOR TARGETS, NOT PROTECTION! As far as I can tell, these LTC 26605 Multi Curve Level 4 SAPI Plates are among the best in the business. They should stop almost anything that a DOJ employee (such as ICE) might be carrying. What’s important here is making sure you get the size that fits you. Shop carefully.

Ya’ gotta have a belt and a belt liner to help hold shit together. The DM Mech belt pad and it’s companion inner belt should keep you in good shape and they’re not as expensive as some others. Tactical people I (sort of) trust say these are the best on the market.

Next up: This dump pouch from DM. Why? ‘Cause ya’ gotta hold things like your Gatorade, evidence, gun magazines, etc. This one lies flat and unassuming when empty, hangs nicely on your belt, and won’t rip or tear when you get too excited and catch it on a door frame or something.

If you’re carrying a gun you’re gonna need a mag pouch or two. Which one depends on what kind of weapon you’re carrying. Generally speaking, the Esstac KYWI pouches seem to be top-of-the-line. Ask yourself, though, are you really prepared to get into a firefight with anyone? If you don’t have the training to know when and how to change mags under pressure, then maybe you should ease back on the aggression a little bit, ‘kay?

Finally, because you’re reading this page, I am pretty sure that you’re going to need an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) to go with your gear. Again, I’m going with this DM Fast Pouch because if you’re been injured, you need to act quickly to keep yourself from bleeding out all over the place. What do you put in it? North American Rescue has a one-handed tourniquet that is the kind used by military forces. They have plenty of other first aid considerations as well. Some of you are more clumsy than I am so you might want to consider multiple IFAKs.

Yeah, I know that for some people that feels like a lot. For others, it may not be enough. I strongly advise that you not get in over your head here. There’s a damn good reason Kat doesn’t like the idea of me carrying a gun. The Marine is the marksman in the family anyway and there’s little point in carrying a weapon you don’t know how to use accurately. Mishandling weapons will kill you faster than ICE will. At the end of the day, no DOJ or law enforcement official wants to kill anyone because the paperwork alone is suffocating.

There’s still so much more I could write about this morning, but breathing is a challenge at the moment so I need to stop and address that issue. Am I advocating that you arm yourself? Not really. I suggest considering what you can do to protect yourself. You alone know where your comfort level is. All I ask is that you keep yourself sufficiently prepared for whatever level of stupidity comes knocking on your door or your workplace.

And stay caffienated, please. You don’t aim well when your eyes are half shut.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Friday, January 24, 2025

January 24, 2025

Protect Yourself

Nothing that has happened this week should be a surprise, not even the record-setting weather along the Gulf Coast. The weather is the result of unchecked climate change and everything else was telegraphed in Project 2025 long before Felonious Punk was elected. We, in all our arrogance, allowed this to happen. Just like 1930s Germany, we were sure that there would be no negative fallout from all our nationalistic posturing. We were wrong, and now we’re beginning to pay an extremely high price for more than just eggs.

We talked yesterday about Tipper’s concern over possible ICE enforcement in the city, particularly at her school. Checking with her when she got home, she said that she didn’t see anything, but that a lot of kids were talking about it, many were scared, and a few students were missing from classes. Apparently, both school and city officials noticed the unrest and fear. Shortly after school ended yesterday, we received the following email from the school’s principal.

Dear PPHS Community,

Purdue Polytechnic Schools (PPHS) are dedicated to creating equitable and inclusive environments where every student feels safe and supported both socially and emotionally. Due to potential changes in federal policies, many students, families, and staff are facing heightened anxiety and uncertainty about the possibility of mass deportation. While we still do not know exactly what actions the incoming administration may or may not take at this time, it is important that our families have access to resources and information to establish an action plan.

This Family Resource Toolkit is available in English and Spanish and contains information and resources about your rights, current DPS policies, training, mental health support, and a list of community resources. Please read this guide and save it so you can refer back to it whenever necessary.

It is also important that families update emergency contacts. Each student should have at least two emergency contacts. These individuals do not need to be family members; they can be any trusted adult known by the family. We also ask that families identify those authorized to pick up their students (including older siblings) from school if a parent or guardian cannot. Please email us if you need to update emergency contacts.

Our schools are safe, and we want our students here. While our function is to provide education for all students, our responsibility is to provide safe and welcoming environments. That commitment remains true.

Jacob Pactor, principal

Within the hour, the following statement hit social media from IMPD Chief Chris Bailey.

Almost simultaneously, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) released their own statement, complete with a new website. If officials wanted to communicate that the city of Indianapolis is safe for immigrants, they almost made their point. At least, it seemed they made a good effort.

Then, from the statehouse came the news that a new bill requiring police in the state to report anyone suspected of being undocumented had passed out of committee. So much for immigrants being safe. For that matter, no one is safe because the bill only requires that an officer ‘suspect’ that a person, driver, or passenger, might be undocumented. No actual evidence is required. That makes everyone a target.

Yes, a federal judge did issue a temporary restraining order preventing ICE from implementing Punk’s executive order. The order lasts for 14 days so that no immigration authority can make a rush to lock up immigrants before courts have a chance to decide on the legality of the issue. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour stopped the Justice Department’s lawyer mid-sentence, pummeled him with questions, and then called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.”

On the surface, this seems like a cut-and-dried case. The 14th Amendment makes it extremely clear that anyone born here in the US is a citizen. However, Punk’s justice department is trying to get around that. An article published by Salon late yesterday outlines exactly how lawyers intend to argue that even Indigenous peoples, Native Americans, are not necessarily citizens. If Indigenous people, whose ancestors have lived on this land for over 50,000 years, are not citizens, then who the fuck is? Certainly not any offspring of late-coming Europeans! By this argument, does the US have any citizens at all?

Pay attention to the timing here. Monday marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. The opening paragraph on the website memorializing the lives lost reads as follows:

Soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates of Auschwitz Concentration Camp on January 27, 1945. The prisoners greeted them as authentic liberators. It was a paradox of history that soldiers formally representing Stalinist totalitarianism brought freedom to the prisoners of Nazi totalitarianism.

There aren’t many survivors of Auschwitz or Birkenau left. Of the few remaining, at least one is still actively telling his story. The frightening experience he endured, the millions of lives lost, should stand as a stark reminder of what happens if people like you and I stand by and do absolutely nothing.

I know this is going to hit some people the wrong way, but now is the time for Democrats, progressive thinkers, liberals, and academics to begin arming themselves. We’ve spent so much time over the past 50 years advocating for gun laws that we’ve lost sight of the original purpose of the 2nd Amendment: Protecting ourselves from the government. I hate to think that we actually have anything in common with the militias that participated in the January 6 insurrection, but the truth is that we are at a point where arming ourselves is a necessity. Republicans are counting on us trying to use the courts, stretching the battle out over the next four years, while ICE and other DOJ agencies do their evil deeds unthwarted. We cannot let that happen.

I’m willing to bet that if liberals suddenly start buying the same weapons we’ve been screaming against, folks in government are going to notice. One of two things will happen. Either they’ll change their tune on birthright citizenship and immigration policy, or we’ll finally start getting the restrictive gun laws we’ve needed. I’m willing to bet on the former.

We cannot make the same mistake that German citizens did. They waited until it was too late and a monster was unleashed upon the world. We have the opportunity to stop this new monster in his tracks. Arm yourselves. Stand your ground. You have an inherent right to defend yourself, your family, and your property against government intrusion. Use it.

Just make sure you’re well caffeinated when you do it. No one needs a sleepy shooter.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Thursday, January 23, 2025

January 23, 2025

Friend or Foe?

photo of German Waffen SS officers relabled to represent the FBI, CIA, ICA, and Homeland Security

The conversation with Tipper this morning, as she got ready to leave for school, was one that I never imagined needing to have. “If you see anyone coming into your classroom or anywhere else at the school and removing students, I want you to text me immediately.” I didn’t have to tell her why. She’s already well aware of the ICE raids going on around town. She and her classmates have been discussing them and sharing their fears with each other all week.

“It’s more likely to happen on the bus than at school, I think,” Tipper said. “They’ve already been doing that. My friends have seen it. I’ll call you if I see anything.”

“No, text me, don’t call. Don’t do anything that would draw attention to yourself,” I warned her. “Putting your phone up to your ear could be seen as an aggressive action.”

The fact is, she’s concerned. Sure, she’s trying to blow it off and knows that she’s not likely to be at the top of anyone’s list, but there’s that lingering doubt. Tipper knows she can no longer trust some authority figures. She wants to be defiant and protect her friends but she also knows she can’t really fight back against armed adults.

Why the concern? Tipper wasn’t born in the US. Kat and her bio-dad were stationed at the Marine base in Okinawa when she was born. Both US and Japanese birth certificates were issued. Both of her parents are US citizens. Yet, as Felonious Punk wages war against the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, there’s room to question whether she might potentially be caught up in the new detention of immigrants. I’ve tried easing her concerns, she knows her risks are slim, but she’s also aware that situations like these are unpredictable and that innocent people can be caught up.

Making matters worse is the knowledge that the DOJ is investigating any local police who don’t go along with the immigration round-up. This page, straight out of the Waffen SS playbook, makes it impossible to know which police officers can be trusted to uphold the Constitution and which can’t. Crime never stops, but if you can’t trust local police to do the right thing, what happens next? Is it still safe to call 911 if you only speak Spanish? What if you have an ‘accent’ of some kind? Are 911 operators going to send ICE along with emergency services if they think the caller might be an immigrant?

I’m watching to see if there are any mass resignations from the Department of Justice in light of these new presidential orders. I’m not expecting it, at least not yet, but that is what needs to happen. One of the most critical things coming out of the Nuremberg Trials is the legal concept that ‘following orders’ is not an excuse for actions that violate human rights. Nazi soldiers who served as guards at concentration camps were imprisoned and some were put to death for carrying out orders that resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews and other imprisoned people. Officials with the FBI, CIA, ICE, and Homeland Security could potentially be prosecuted in the same way if they carry out Punk’s orders. Better for them that they find jobs in the private sector rather than be found complicit with evil.

There is a lot of evil in this administration. Felonious Punk set us back 60 years yesterday when his orders rescinded the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and other long-standing civil rights protections. So far, only COSTCO is standing up and defying the administration. Publicly traded companies are running scared of potential legal costs if white, straight men start claiming that DEI or EEOC policies discriminate against them. You and I both know that such a claim is absolute bullshit, but the legal costs of being involved in such a suit could dramatically affect a company’s bottom line regardless of the outcome. The fact is that anyone who’s not a straight, white male is likely in for a rough time in the employment arena, especially if they work for a publicly traded company. The rights you thought you had have been eliminated.

Congress is complicit in this evil and they’re actively preparing to bring more hardship to your door. Republicans in the House are passing around a proposed list of ways to pay for the Punk’s tax cut and immigration crackdown. Click the link and you can read the whole thing for free. Some of the more aggregious items on the list include but are not limited to the following:

Limit Federal Health Program Eligibility Based on Citizenship Status. This policy would remove specified categories of non-citizens from eligibility for federal health care programs.
Repeal Title I of IRA (Excluding: 45Q Carbon Sequestration, 45U Nuclear Power, 45Z Clean Fuels, and EV Tax Credit).
Repeal Green Energy Tax Credits.
End Employee Retention Tax Credit
Repeal SALT Deduction. This option would eliminate both the individual and business State and Local Tax deduction.
Eliminate Nonprofit Status for Hospitals. Because healthcare isn’t expensive enough already.
Eliminate Head of Household Filing Status. The Head of Household filing status provides a larger standard deduction for unmarried individuals who have children.
Eliminate Credit for Child and Dependent Care.
Eliminate Deduction of Interest on Student Loans.

I’ll stop there because if I included everything on this list that’s alarming it would be over 100 points long. Read the whole thing, please. Descriptions of Republican’s reasoning for these actions are included with most of the items.

The Punk’s recent actions put almost everyone I know at some form of risk. The administration is hoping that you’ll just roll over and take it. I’m sure that a lot of people will. The truth is, we can and should fight back, loudly, ferociously, and using every option available to us. I don’t think we have time for suits to make their way through the court system, especially then the Punk is pushing the DOJ to support his policies. We have to take a more immediate and physical stand. Yes, that may put some of us at greater risk, but we’re already at severe risk just from all the bullshit that Punk has dumped on us this week. I’d rather go out fighting than whimpering in a ditch.

This is the battle against tyranny and fascism that your grandparents and great-grandparents fought in wars to avoid. They didn’t want you to be subject to this type of government. They believed that the United States is better than this. They would all be severely disappointed, if not downright angry, to see where we are now.

Scream. Shout. Disobey. Resist. Dissent. If a 14-year-old can do it, so can you.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / Nature / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Sunday, January 19, 2025

January 19, 2025

Calculating The Risks.

There are risks to almost everything we do. Have I had enough sleep or too much? Are these clothes too heavy or too light for the weather outside? Am I drinking too much coffee (NEVER!)? Am I taking too much medicine? Is the unknown person who just hit my DMs real or a bot? One of life’s greatest challenges is that we don’t know what we don’t know. There are moments when the best option we have is to fuck around and find out. This morning is one of those moments.

Last week I was about to walk into the kitchen when I saw Tipper standing there in her furry costume, oversized monster head and all. I paused, unsure of what was going on. She began to dance. She danced for about 15 seconds, then ran over and turned off the video on her phone. She was on TikTok. While I might consider our small, cramped kitchen an inappropriate space for any picture, Tipper was having a blast interacting with her friends.

Tipper isn’t awake yet (no surprise there), so I don’t know how she’s going to respond to finding out that her favorite app isn’t working this morning. I don’t expect a great deal of anguish on her part because she has other sources of communication open and she’s not afraid to use them. All of them. At the same time. For her generation, apps are a fluid space. When one goes down, two or three more pop up to take its place.

What’s interesting is that TikTok is being shut down over a perceived risk that China is using the tool to skim off personal information. China has denied the allegations while First Amendment advocates claim that free speech dominates over a risk that might not be real. Yet, there’s something we don’t know that has caused two administrations, Congress, and the United States Supreme Court to support banning the app. We’re not getting the full picture, one that apparently scares the shit out of those who are in the know. So, we’re banning the use of the app, just to be safe. The risks are too high.

Of course, not everyone agrees, which is acceptable. One person on Blue Sky lamented that it seems strange to worry about the risk of Chinese spies when we’re letting the devil himself into the Oval Office. While I can certainly appreciate that view, my instinct tells me that the government is making the right move. China is not to be trusted. They’ve never been trustworthy at any point in my lifetime. Regardless of the trade between them and the rest of the world, China has repeatedly proven that every move they make has behind it the intention to dominate on a political level. The risk is likely more severe than anyone outside China’s Communist Party knows.

And there’s another risk raised by the New York Times. What if no one misses TikTok? After all, it’s not like the app is out there saving lives. The videos are more silly than informational. Most creators are kids having fun with their friends. So, what happens if they just shrug off the blackout and move on to a completely different interest? It’s a question that can’t be answered until they all start waking up this morning.

The TikTok ban seems irrelevant when compared to some other risks. Guard troops will wear a special patch at Trump’s inauguration to make it clear they aren’t police. Noting that a) every law enforcement branch seems to be wearing camo these days, and b) Far-right actors have shown open hostility toward police in the past, the National Guard wants to make sure that genuinely stupid people can tell the difference between Guard troops and police at the inauguration. The risk is real. Many extreme supporters of Felonious Punk are violent and even more of them are really, really, really, really stupid.

Moving the inauguration indoors to the very Capitol rotunda that some of the same people stormed four years ago creates more risks. Judges allow some Capitol riot defendants to return to DC for the Felon’s inauguration. At the same time, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to get inside the Capitol as space for the event is quite limited. How will they respond to being left out in the cold? One has to acknowledge the risk, but at the same time, one would expect the risk to be mitigated by their support for the incoming president. We’ll just have to see how it goes, won’t we?

Here’s another risk that probably isn’t getting sufficient attention: It’s not clear who will lead the Pentagon when the Felon takes office. What happens then? There currently is no appointee to lead the Defense Department. A significant number of people are stepping down tomorrow and that institution built on chain-of-command strategies isn’t going to know who’s in charge. Who has the final say on things? Who’s going to take responsibility if something goes wrong? Can the military respond appropriately should there be an attack?

Of course, there’s a backup plan and a backup plan to the backup plan. However, anyone who’s been in the military will be quick to tell you that such plans get set aside when politics comes into play. For all its rules and regulations, the Pentagon is mired deeply in both internal and external politics. The fight for who gets to call the shots has been present for generations, even causing disasters on the battlefield. We can hope that our enemies are not ready to take advantage of this obvious weakness, but all the hoping in the world doesn’t make anyone any safer.

The biggest risk of all? If you live in the continental United States, your pipes could burst this week. Subzero temperatures will blanket the US starting early Monday morning and carrying through at least Wednesday. Such a severe cold puts the nation’s plumbing at risk no matter how much insulation one has. Yes, there are things one can do, such as leaving faucets running constantly for the next three days, but that, in turn, creates other risks as well. In our house, we have a number of cats who would rather drink the water running from the tap than from their water bowl. That increases the risks of things being knocked off the counter and breaking.

No one is immune from risk. Even if you don’t have cats rushing up to your kitchen sink, simply stepping outside and breathing the cold air puts one at risk. Heaters carry risks. Thermal clothes have risks. There’s no escaping the fact that our lives have a lot of risks and there’s not a lot we can do about any of it.

And now I’m hearing cats in the empty bathtub. Cats with zoomies are a risk.

My personal plan is to watch where I step and drink more coffee. Beyond that, whatever happens, happens.

Health / Long Read / Morning Update / Mythology / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / science / Social Commentary

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

January 15, 2025

You Can Die If You Want To.

Zero. As I type this morning, that’s how many degrees of warmth we have in Indianapolis. Zero. Granted, the US still uses the Fahrenheit scale so we’re not talking about absolute zero, in which case I would have kept the kids home from school and the dogs would just have to hold everything until later this morning. As it is, I made sure children were well-layered, capped, and gloved before they walked out the door with what I hope is sufficient warning about the amount of ice everywhere.

G has a visit to the state house scheduled for today, something to do with entrepreneurship and economics. I’m hoping his trip is interesting and educational. If not, be sure that his review will be more scathing than anything I might write. The child has no filter and is not shy about expressing his viewpoint. The same goes for a couple of his school friends. I’m not sure the airheads in the state legislature are ready for what’s about to hit them this morning.

Like many states, Indiana does most of its law-making during the first two months of each year. There simply isn’t enough going on to justify longer terms in most states, and governors always have the ability to call a special session if an emergency pops up. So far, there are 503 bills introduced to the state senate and 519 bills in the state house. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry too much. In previous years, fewer than fifty bills actually make it to the governor’s desk for signing. Some are combined, but most are dropped because they are, in a word, stupid.

For example, Senate Bill 364 and House Bill 1335 both lack any understanding of real-world science. The bill “Prohibits a person who has the intent of affecting the intensity of sunlight, temperature, or weather from discharging a chemical or apparatus into the atmosphere, except in certain circumstances.” That’s right, folks, they’re outlawing chemtrails and weather manipulation machines because Indiana science education has failed that badly.

Senate Bill 35 requires that “each school corporation, charter school, and state accredited nonpublic elementary school to include print handwriting, cursive handwriting, and spelling in its curriculum.” Because, you know, this generation does so much handwriting.

Here’s a fun one. Senate Bill 11 proposes that “a social media operator [to] restrict a minor user’s access to social media without first obtaining verifiable parental consent for the minor user. Defines a “minor user” as an individual who is less than 16 years of age. Establishes a civil cause of action to allow a parent or legal guardian of a minor user who accesses social media without verifiable parental consent to bring a suit against the social media operator. Allows any person to bring an action for injunctive relief against a social media operator if the social media operator fails to implement a verifiable parental consent method. Allows the attorney general to: (1) bring an action against a social media operator that fails to implement a verifiable parental consent method; and (2) issue a civil investigative demand if the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that any person is engaged in a violation. Creates a civil cause of action if a minor user is subject to social media bullying.” I get that online bullying is a problem, but this isn’t the answer.

House Bill 1170 eliminates gun-free safe zones. Heaven forbid there be anywhere that Second Amendment nut jobs can’t get to you.

House Bill 1008 wants to adjust the Indiana/Illinois state line. Damn good thing we don’t border Greenland.

Senate Bill 286 makes it illegal to wear a mask at a public assembly. Let’s all just get sick and die.

House Bill 1231 requires the display of the Ten Commandments in all schools. Because iron-age mythology makes more sense than science education.

There’s plenty more to read through if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your day. The greater majority of bills are housekeeping details that keep everything funded and running. Most bills won’t see the light of day, especially if they encounter any serious pushback.

One bill I was surprised to see but wholly support is House Bill 1011 which would allow for end-of-life options. Specifically, “Allows individuals with a terminal illness who meet certain requirements to make a request to an attending provider for medication that the individual may self-administer to bring about death. Specifies requirements a provider must meet in order to prescribe the medication to a patient. Prohibits an insurer from denying payment of benefits under a life insurance policy based upon a suicide clause in the life insurance policy if the death of the insured individual is the result of medical aid in dying.” Given the state’s stance on abortion, I don’t expect this bill to make it out of committee, if it even gets that far.

Right-to-die legislation makes far too much sense for an aging population where up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. Anyone who has witnessed a loved one slowly, painfully, withering away, not knowing where or who they are, understands the level of mercy this type of legislation shows. Republicans don’t understand compassion or mercy, though, and they’re sorely lacking in common sense, so don’t expect this one to hit the governor’s desk.

I can’t overemphasize that most of the bills proposed in this state legislature or anywhere else will ever actually come up for a vote in any form. State legislators like to act all big and grandiose as they introduce their insipid little bills, but rarely does anyone actually give a shit. For that matter, rarely does anyone even know who they are. I’ve often wondered if someone could walk into the chamber wearing a suit with a flag lapel pin and just start talking. Would anyone know the fucking difference?

States are likely to become the front line of the Felonious Punk’s agenda because it will be easier to pass ridiculous legislation in state houses than it is at the federal level. State legislators tend to be an empty-headed sanctimonious lot that relishes any attempt to garner favor at a federal level. Watching them genuflect to a convicted felon and rapist makes me want to puke.

Meanwhile, LA is still on fire and celebrities don’t want you to forget about them. There are photo ops everywhere.

What matters most is that we all are warm and safe and that there’s more coffee in the pot.

Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / Nature / News & Comment / Personal

Tuesday, January 07, 2025

January 7, 2025

What Am I Supposed To Do Without You?

After a break that, in some aspects, feels twice as long as it actually was, the kids return to school today. Yes, even in the snow. Their school, as is all of IPS, is on a two-hour delay, but everyone with any sense knows that roads won’t be any different in two hours than they are now. Making matters all the more challenging, temps are only going down. By Thursday morning, temps are expected to be at or below 0 Fahrenheit. Friday, we’ll see another round of fresh snow. Kat is driving the kids to school today, hoping that the continued efforts of DPW’s ‘Snow Force’ will lead to some improvement in roads by this afternoon. The question is whether any true progress can be made with temps staying well below freezing.

By the end of the week, pretty much all of the US, except for some West Coast areas, will be dealing with uncharacteristic snow and cold. Even Florida’s perennial beach playgrounds are likely to see temps drop close to the freezing mark. There will be snow on the ground in DC for President Carter’s funeral on Thursday, and the potential for snow and freezing temperatures are just a few of the security challenges facing the inauguration on the 20th.

Most state legislatures started their work yesterday, making attempts to prove that they still have some relevance in how their states are governed. One rural Indiana lawmaker introduced legislation that could bring about an end to the Indianapolis Public School system as it currently exists. The bill’s author, Republican Rep. Jake Teshka, who represents District 7 in a rural area south of South Bend and Mishawaka in northern Indiana, stated “I authored this legislation to ensure school corporations are giving our children the best education possible and to find solutions in districts where the current governance is failing its students. This bill would only apply to school districts where more than half of the students and families living within the school district’s boundaries are choosing to attend other schools, meaning their property taxes are funding a school system they don’t attend. This is an important conversation to have, and I look forward to hearing from parents, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders on the best path forward to ensure every Hoosier student receives a quality education.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, is anyone buying this bullshit? House Bill 1136 would re-organize any school district where 50% or more of the students are enrolled in charter schools. All of the public schools in the district would then be converted to charter schools. This amounts to the privatization of public schools. Indianapolis students would be disproportionately affected. 80 percent of students impacted by the bill are Indianapolis students. NONE of the schools in the author’s district would be affected at all.

This pisses me off for more than one reason. First, I have an issue with some hair-brained jackass from a stinking backwater sloop of a district proposing legislation that does not and will not affect the under-educated peabrains whose parents voted for him. Second, I absolutely DESPISE any attempt to take the voice away from thousands of parents who don’t send their children to charter schools. Charter school companies are notoriously bad about swallowing up school funds for administrative costs while spending less on teachers and classrooms. Charter schools are also predominantly (there are some exceptions) closed off to parents seeking any kind of change.

Full disclosure: our kids attend a charter school that is part of the IPS system. They always have. And while we are pleased with the schools they are in now, that has not always been the case. They started kindergarten in a charter school that was horribly mismanaged, underfunded its classrooms, provided no student support, and looked for any reason to expel disruptive students. G was suspended multiple times while in first grade! Kat was quick to change schools, but the fact that this terrible charter is still in operation is highly disturbing.

I know there are a lot of people who feel that government should be completely out of the education business. The problem with that nonsense is that the only way to ensure that all children, regardless of economic status, race, religion, or disability, receive an appropriate education is to maintain a well-funded and PUBLIC education system. While some charter schools are fantastic, others are only in it for the money grab. Over the past ten years, the Indiana Department of Education has had to revoke the charters of multiple schools that were paying teachers below state minimums, hiring uncredited teachers, and mishandling school funds. Charter schools can, in theory, reject any students they want, make unreasonable demands of parents, and avoid equality oversights. This bill is a foolish idea and all Indiana parents do well to oppose it loudly.

In case you were looking for yet another reason to avoid eating at McDonalds, the fast-food chain announced yesterday that it is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The decision comes as dozens of other companies have done exactly the same thing, making the world a more difficult and less comfortable place for anyone who is not a privileged white male. I fail to understand why there is not more noise coming in opposition to this kind of move. These are public companies whose stock prices should be hitting rock bottom because of such foolishness. Where are the boycotts? Where are the marches? I know I’ve changed my shopping/buying habits in the past year, but why isn’t everyone? I don’t get it.

One of the few pieces of good news I’m seeing this morning is that the Biden administration banned unpaid medical bills from appearing on credit reports. While this doesn’t come close to addressing the real problems of the American healthcare system, it does provide a small amount of relief for those who are already struggling with insane amounts of medical debt. Something is better than the nothing we’re going to get over the next four years, but again, why are we not bringing the entire country to a screeching halt over healthcare costs?

I thought about discussing the dangers of Getty Images buying Shutterstock or all the cool things that NVIDIA announced at CES yesterday, but Meta, the parent company of Facebook, upstaged everyone this morning by announcing that it’s eliminating fact-checking. In its place will be a program similar to the user-written Community Notes on X, which is a complete disaster. We have plenty of replacements for X. What we need is a replacement for Facebook. Now.

Sigh. I’m beginning to think that I’m too old for this damn world. We’re ignoring everything that is important to human civilization and electing the most ignorant people we can possibly find, not just in the US but around the world. I don’t feel as though I fit in anywhere. Is it too late in the treatment process to just let cancer consume me?

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Monday, January 06, 2025

January 6, 2025

Could Be Worse.

Someone pissed on my pants. It was obviously one of the cats, the smell is unmistakable. Which one, though? I can only guess. Four shared the room last night but others could easily have wandered in. Perhaps someone was upset that I slept until almost 7:30 this morning, delaying their breakfast. Since I didn’t recognize the problem until I put on the jeans to take the dogs out, I’ll have to shower and change clothes once I finish writing. This is how the week starts.

No, the storm isn’t over. It’s still snowing and we’ll see another wave of heavy snow before noon. Looking out the window, the light snow is almost impossible to see. Only against the darkness of my overcoat was I sure anything was still falling. The flakes aren’t very large, but they’re still there.

Most of the snow is expected to be out of the Indy metro area by noon today. However, that doesn’t mean the danger is over. The airport has already clocked a 40 mph wind gust and more is coming with this afternoon being especially difficult. The wind is coming out of the North which means East/West streets could see a lot of drifting with snow piling up in unexpected places. This means that even roads that have been plowed are not likely to be clear. DPW crews have been working 12-hour shifts since Saturday night but to little avail as the snow keeps falling and blowing.

I am amused and slightly frustrated by all the people uttering a dismissive, “I’ve seen worse.” No shit, Sherlock. We don’t have to receive a record-breaking snowfall for this to be a dangerous and potentially deadly event! WTF! Just because you survived something worse doesn’t negate the importance of the current situation. So help me, too many people are just stupid when it comes to snow.

How much do we have so far? That depends on where one is standing. Official reports show the highest accumulation South of Indy at 8.5 inches. However, the nature of snow is that it varies literally from one yard to the next. The exact placement of houses, the number and location of trees, the height and construction of fences, and one’s proximity to multi-story buildings all factor into how much snow lands in front of the door. Here, judging by how the snow hits the dogs’ legs, we have about seven inches worth of the stuff. Hamilton decided he’d just bury his nose in it. Belvedere did his business and immediately wanted back inside.

Most everything government-related is closed today as are all regional schools. Our kids aren’t scheduled to return to school until tomorrow, so everything being closed today has no effect on them. Tomorrow could be different, though, as ice and wind are likely to continue to make travel hazardous. What I don’t see on any of the closure lists, though, are retail stores. While I can kind of see grocery outlets staying open with a skeleton crew, there’s absolutely no reason for anyone else to be open today. No one needs a new pair of jeans today. Sheets and towels can wait a few days more. Anyone furniture shopping today is just stupid. No one needs to eat out today, either. Bottom line: if you’re shopping for anything that isn’t a life-or-death necessity, you’re a fool. Your presence in a store means other people had to risk their lives to cater to your folly. You don’t need to be driving. No one else needs to be driving. How good a driver you are isn’t the issue. Just stay off the fucking roads.

There’s not a lot of impactful news this morning. Congress certifies the election like it’s obligated to do. Last night’s Golden Globe Awards were the placebo of awards, holding no real meaning for anyone. The markets are mixed, the wars are still stupid, and for some insane reason, Musk thinks he has a right to interfere with the politics of other countries, which is likely to end poorly for him.

There are a couple of situations that are probably worth some conversation because they are more likely to affect people on a personal level. Evidence now shows that the New Orleans driver who killed 14 used Meta’s glasses to scope out and help plan his crime. Not only was he wearing the glasses when he drove into the crowd, but he also used them on two prior trips to the area, recording video that would tell him where crowds were likely to gather and what protections might be in place.

This raises an interesting question or two. If another person had recorded that video and given it to the driver, that person would be arrested and charged with second-degree murder as an accomplice. So, is Meta’s technology on the hook here? Can victims and their families sue Meta for helping to facilitate the attack? Does the very existence of the glasses violate the personal freedoms, particularly the right to privacy, of anyone identified by them? Typically, technology itself is not blamed for the commission of a crime; that’s on the person using it. However, the glasses are designed to identify people who may not wish to be identified. So, where are we going to draw this line?

The second matter involves both the speed and the depth of information Tesla was able to provide police about the driver of the truck that blew up in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. On one hand, this is nothing new. Law enforcement has been able to access GPS information stored on most new vehicles since 2016. However, law enforcement accesses this information digitally. What’s disturbing in this case is the fact that Tesla CEO Elon Musk was the one who gave Las Vegas police the information. Why did he have access? Who else has access to your driving information and what are they doing with it?

GM has already been found guilty of selling information on 1.5 million drivers to insurance companies without the drivers’ permission. One has to ask whether access to this information can be or is being compromised by criminals or government officials. If US law enforcement has access to the data, does China have access to that information as well? Can Russia or Iran use the information to study things like traffic patterns to plan terrorist activities? What does this mean for individual privacy? Is it illegal to disable the GPS tracking in your vehicle? (Only if you are still paying for said vehicle.)

One more matter that I’ve been sitting on for a couple of days. Below is an editorial cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes, formerly of the Washington Post. Ms. Telnaes resigned from the paper after editors rejected this cartoon. Why? Because it includes the Post‘s owner, Jeff Bezos, among those bowing down to the incoming President. So, it’s been published everywhere else, giving the cartoon a far broader circulation than it would have had otherwise. The Post‘s editors fucked this one up. Here’s Ms. Telnaes’ cartoon:

The cartoon deserves to be shared far and wide. Be sure to give Ann Telnaes credit for her work.

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Thursday, January 02, 2025

January 2, 2025

The Senselessness Of Existing

So, this is how we’re going to start the new year? Are you dead sure this is what you want: hate, fear, fury, anger, depression, helplessness, and loss? Or is it a severe bout of stupidity, ignorance, brain rot, selfishness, emotional malignancy, miseducation, and deprivation? I’m done asking ‘why’ because that question is irrelevant–it doesn’t matter. There’s no point in questioning the motives behind actions fueled by an unconscionable lack of humanity. There is no reasoning behind the disregard for life. No one wants to play this game if you’re just going to overturn the board and fling the pieces around the room.

I woke around 3:30 this morning with the sensation of pain pushing its way through my head. Sure, I’ve had a severe headache for more than two months now, but this was a new, different direction in what feels like an assault at the atomic level. Whether it’s the cancer, the diabetes, the hypertension, or some yet unnamed malady makes no difference. Pain is a permanent part of my reality and the most critical thought I have today is in choosing how I am going to respond, not because it will ease my suffering, but because I have no right to let the pain in my body infringe on the happiness of anyone else.

When I inquired of Tipper this morning as to whether she has any immediate needs, she responded with a request for winter boots, something that will keep her feet dry, size 91/2. As soon as I finish here I will place the order for those boots. Can I afford them? Probably not, but that’s my problem, not hers. Taking care of her needs, of G’s needs, is not my ‘job,’ it is the obligation of conscience that comes with being a parent. I do not exist, none of us exist, to make myself/ourselves comfortable. We exist to participate in and perpetuate the harmony of humanity. When we fail in that task, as we do now, lives outside our own become fractured. What right have we to become the destroyer of someone else’s world?

Step back and look at where we are. An aspiring nurse, a football star, a single mother, and a father of 2 were among those killed in yesterday’s New Orleans attack. Firework mortars and gas canisters were stuffed inside a Tesla that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel. 10 people were wounded in a shooting outside a New York City nightclub. Montenegro mourns after gunman killed at least 12 people before shooting himself. All of this occurred within a single twenty-four-hour period. Willful destruction of people’s lives, something that no one has a right or obligation to commit. The shedding of tears, the cries of pain, and the agony of innocent lives lost is not only on the hands of those who pulled the triggers or detonated the bombs but on all who failed to teach compassion, understanding, cooperation, and the individual role in all of humanity.

Let’s be very clear: you do not have a need, the responsibility, or the right to ‘fix’ anyone but yourself. Making America, Canada, Mexico, China, or anywhere else ‘great’ is not accomplished by interfering with the rights of another person, especially their right to exist in the space where they are. If you want to make your country better, regardless of which one it is, you have to own the fact that you are part of the problem. What makes a country great is not a shared ideology but a full-body commitment to community, to caring, to helping, to learning, and to making the lives of others better than when you first met them. That goal is never achieved through violence, hate, fearmongering, belittling, bullying, or force of any kind. We have to give other people the space, the resources, and the support to be who they are, not who we want them to be.

I was outside with the dogs yesterday afternoon when Hamilton alerted on activity taking place several houses to our South. With Ham’s first bark, Belvedere came running at full speed. I looked to see what had them concerned. A man was screaming as he exited the house, “You just can’t let other people be happy, can you?” He repeated the question several times as he tossed his belongings in the car and left with his partner. The occupants of the house he left have a history of domestic violence. Police have been called multiple times over the years. When one person attempts to force their will on others, no matter how well-intentioned, they do damage, and create fear, loathing, and frustration for the other person.

Leaving a situation where one is being harmed is only a partial solution, though. When one leaves, they take with them the emotions heaped upon them. What are they supposed to do with that burden? Too many times it ends up being turned on someone else, someone who is not part of the problem, someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Early this morning, two people arrived at the emergency room of a local hospital sporting fresh gunshot wounds. They had been shot while on the Interstate. Police do not yet know if the victims knew the shooter or had any other interaction with them. Maybe they didn’t signal when changing lanes. Maybe they cut off another vehicle. Why doesn’t matter. No one had the right to shoot them, to damage their lives in ways that would be manifested for the rest of their existence.

God didn’t create hell nor does any deity send one to such a place. We create hell ourselves every time we fail to care about the lives of other people. Hell is not a threat for after one dies; hell is here, now, in the absence of compassion, understanding, and failure to hold oneself responsible for the obligations of participating in humanity. Hell is the absence of reason and the embrace of chaos. Hell is the ascension of one’s self over others. Hell is the imposition of one’s will, ideology, or religion upon people who are fully capable of thinking and acting for themselves.

Jesus doesn’t save, but you can. Humanity has existed on this planet somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 years (depending on how one defines ‘human.’). Not once has Jesus deflected a bullet. Not once has Mohammed shielded anyone from a bomb. Not once has any deity stepped in to stop a war. If we want those things to happen, we have to do them ourselves, for each other. We are the force that makes a difference in this world. Whether that force is used for good or evil is an individual decision that we make every second of our lives. We determine who lives and who dies, who’s happy and who’s sad.

Take inventory of yourself today, pluses and minuses. Start with the list of things you’re doing well, the positives in your life, what you’re addressing to your own benefit, the things you’re learning, and the ways you’re helping others. Then, take an honest look at where you’re doing harm, whether it’s to yourself or someone else. Where are you willfully being ignorant? Where are you misplacing your trust? Who are you following that is misleading you? If that side of the list isn’t as long as the other, try again.

Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty, just jumped onto my desk. He likes having his chin scratched. It takes three seconds of my time to make his life better. It might take a little longer to find Tipper some good winter boots, but the effort is worth making her life better.

If the world we live in is a bad, scary, and dangerous place, it’s because we made it that way.

Do better.

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Sunday Morning Update: 12/29/24

December 29, 2024

I went to bed at 8:15, barely able to keep my eyes open, and slept for a solid eleven hours, to the point that the cats were coming into the Recovery Room to question why they hadn’t yet been fed. When I finally got around to checking my phone, which had been knocked onto the floor, the AP alerts told an interesting story. 8:33 – 17 dead in South Korea airliner crash. 9:46 – 29 dead …. 11:23 – 74 dead …. 12:29 – 179 dead …. In the end, AP reports A total of 179 people — 85 women, 84 men, and 10 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire.

Exactly what happened is still unclear. The Muan tower issued a bird strike warning and gave permission to the Jeju Air flight to land on a different runway. The landing gear was never deployed. The plane skidded along the runway on its belly before crashing into a concrete barrier and exploded into flames. Aviation experts who talked to Reuters expressed doubts about a bird strike affecting the landing gear, though, and raised additional questions. “Why didn’t fire tenders lay foam on the runway? Why weren’t they in attendance when the plane touched down? And why did the aircraft touch down so far down the runway? And why was there a brick wall at the end of the runway?” said Airline News editor Geoffrey Thomas.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, North Korea’s roly-poly dictator with a bad haircut announced his toughest anti-US policy yet. Never mind that North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia are dying almost as fast as they’re deployed. This overgrown toddler with a bad temper has absolutely no regard for the people he governs. He wants to be the biggest bully on the block, but all he’ll ever be is an afterthought.

At this point, I’m not sure that there is anything that can salvage this dumpster fire of a year. Among all the year-in-review articles floating on every news page, I was most interested by a statement from Taryn Simon in her piece for the New York Times. “You can’t see anything reflected in boiling water. But when it’s still, water is a mirror,” she said. “It’s still in the anticipation, and it’s still in the aftermath. But we’re told to watch when it’s boiling.” There has been a lot of boiling in 2024 and there are already plenty of people turning up the fire for 2025. We have to look carefully at all that’s going on, watch the water after it has settled, before seeing the reality of what’s happening.

I’m afraid I’m going to need a new coffee machine (yes, there’s a metaphor coming). The machine that I bought in 2015 has reached a point where I have to wait two to three hours for half a pot of coffee. Never mind that I put in enough water for a full pot. Half the water is evaporating before it hits the ground beans. The problem is blockage. We have hard water and over almost ten years of use, the narrow lines have limited the speed at which water is moved from the heating tank to the basket containing the coffee. Sure, we’ve tried various solutions over the years, but ultimately the corrosion wins. I’ve had to drink my morning coffee a half cup at a time.

Countries are the same way. Boiling water is useful, removing impurities and such, but when water is left boiling too long, it begins to evaporate. If the heat isn’t removed, the whole thing becomes useless. Corrosion, corruption, lies, deceit, and fear-mongering destroy what should be useful conversations. Exclamations that amount to “this is my country, not yours,” keep tempers hot. We stop talking and start yelling. We stop listening. As a country, we’ve been boiling for so long that we’ve forgotten what turned on the heat in the first place. Our lines of communication are so corroded with opinions and lies that the truth has trouble getting through.

The price of coffee keeps increasing, as well, but that’s another conversation for another time.

Make no mistake, life in the US has been worse. Drop back to the 1930s, less than 100 years ago, when the depression was in full swing, when organized crime controlled much of the nation, when soup lines were a necessary part of survival, women’s rights were largely nonexistent, and “alternative” sexualities were unspoken. People needed to have large families because the odds of children surviving into adulthood were too slim, and the odds were just as bad for mothers surviving childbirth. Families in rural America often maintained their own cemeteries because they just kept dying.

The problem is that we don’t need to be anywhere close to challenging century-old statistics. The economy is, supposedly, booming. Medical science allows us to live over 100 years. We throw out more food than we can consume. So, why aren’t our lives better?

Consider the possibility that we have so much of everything, that we’ve lost our damn minds and don’t know what to do with it all. Prime example: the disaster that is method dressing. Sorry, this world doesn’t need more impractical red-carpet looks, especially when there’s no fucking red carpet. Neither do we need to see anyone’s butt crack. Whale tails and jelly everything weren’t good ideas the first time around. WTF is “pre-shower” makeup? What’s the difference between a “mushroom bob,” “micro-bob,” and “boy bob”? I’d ask Kat but I’m afraid she might throw something at me. We have made 2024 just as much of a cultural nightmare as the political climate.

Maybe our best move at this point is to start 2025 by turning down the fucking fire and letting the water be still. Pour vinegar over the corruption and see how much melts away. Replace what’s not working in our lives.

Clearly, our approach to 2024 was a bad one. Let’s try something different.

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Friday Morning Update: 12/27/24

December 27, 2024

The unique and wonderful designs of Tiffiany Gilstrap-Scott break out of the raw setting of the Hannah House attic [2011]

We are entering the Season of G. With the completion of this semester’s study, G has completed all the credits required for his sophomore year and is now a high school junior. How could we tell? The out-of-state colleges are starting to court him. Two pieces arrived in yesterday’s mail. He immediately discarded one because of its religious leanings. “If your religious beliefs are one of your primary benefits, your academics can’t be all that great,” he said. And how did he spend the rest of the day? Cleaning his room, “because I’m bored.” Whatever this kid ends up doing, it’s going to be great.

But then, I’m fairly certain that my parents had similar expectations of me when I was 16 and we see how that turned out. I never became the conductor or pianist they thought I would be. I never saw the success I wanted and when I finally get around to dying in 20 years or so, my obituary won’t make the New York Times. We can enter adulthood with incredible privilege yet most of us fail to rise above a level of mediocrity. History may confirm that we exist, but no one outside our family and closest friends is likely to care.

I can’t speak for G’s generation, of course, but I can speak for mine. There’s a word for what we experienced: disillusionment. We are the generation that went through school with a post-war attitude that we could do anything. We sat in classrooms and watched Neil Armstrong take that first step on the moon. At that moment, it felt as though the stars were within our grasp. I remember sitting in fifth grade and my teacher confidently telling us that the US was the best country because “we, the people” could stop bad government at the ballot box. By the time we graduated from High School, women such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Diane Von Furstenberg, Vivienne Westwood, and Miuccia Prada had taken over the fashion scene putting women in jeans and t-shirts, emphasizing comfort and their view of practicality. New businesses were everywhere, it seemed. There was nothing that couldn’t be done.

What the fuck happened? We failed to stop bad government. Not only did we vote for Ronald Reagan’s “trickle-down” theories twice, but we allowed him to cut funding for the arts by 50%, eliminate regulations for banking, and make it possible for a small handful of people to own 90% of the world’s wealth. The definitions of both “Democracy” and “Capitalism” changed dramatically during the 1980s, leading to one financial crisis after another, and we did nothing to stop it.

As a nation, we came out of WWII with the view that we were all good people. We had stopped fascism over there before it had a chance to take hold in the US, we thought. We were sure that a majority of people could be trusted. Cars and appliances could run forever with just a little maintenance. Vaccinations were improving our mortality rate. Technology and innovations created in the US were fueling global advancements. By the time I graduated from high school, we had a device in our kitchen that could make day-old bread taste fresh in just ten seconds! Sure, there were some glitches, such as the Iran hostage situation, but at the same time, cracks were showing in the “iron curtain” of communism. We could still be proud of being Americans.

By the 1990s, all of that positivity was gone. The 1991 financial crisis showed how vulnerable we were to the natural fluctuations in the economy. Our president had sex with an intern in the Oval Office. Limits on lobbying were lifted. Corporations shifted from being innovative to “increasing shareholder value.” “Planned obsolescence” became a viable business model. People happily embraced Gordon Gecko’s mantra that ‘greed is good.’ We learned that no one, not even the Church, could be trusted. We all started going to therapy.

I remember that same fifth-grade teacher being certain that if there were ever a political crisis not immediately solvable at the ballot box, the aggrieved citizens of the US would rise up together and physically overthrow the tyrant. Instead, we did exactly the opposite on January 6, 2021. The majority of voting Americans now support the same fascism we thought was eliminated in the 1940s.

We stand here now a mere four days away from a year in which we seemed to be determined to let the oligarchs take over because we continue to believe that greed is good. We refuse to support universal healthcare because we are afraid that someone might get some advantage over us. We refuse to reign in corporate misbehavior because it might negatively impact our 401K. We have stopped being a United set of states and are now a nation torn by individual desires competing for who can hoard the most wealth, no matter how much it hurts someone else.

One of the headlines grabbing my attention this morning warns that human-made detritus, most of which is concrete and asphalt, now outweighs all the living matter on earth. Click the link. There are graphics to help you understand just how immense the problem is. We have taken a once-pristine planet, turned it into a giant garbage heap, and called it home.

Given the number of years that have passed and the number of cigarettes he consumed (sometimes while still in the classroom), I’m going to assume that my fifth-grade teacher has probably been dead for a while. I hope he did not see his vision of the United States implode to this horrible degree. Instead of being a world leader, we are now a second-rate country (at best) not only repeating the sins of Nazi Germany but lumping in the Apartheid of South Africa (with a bastard of a South African at the helm). As a country, we no longer care about the survival of our citizens. If we did, we’d have universal healthcare. If we gave a shit, we’d address homelessness head-on. If we had any inclination toward compassion, we’d embrace the immigrant population. If we had an ounce of humanity, we would have long-ago buoyed up the systems designed to secure our old age rather than gutting them.

I’m looking around, wondering when the protests are going to start, and I’m discouraged. I don’t see the will to force a turn-around. Instead, all I see is a reluctant acceptance of ‘this is just the way things are.’

No, it isn’t. We can do better. We do not have to accept one damn thing the incoming administration proposes. DOGE is NOT a government agency. We have feet we need to stand upon. Some asses need to be kicked. We need to defend our country and our government just as vigilantly now as we did at its birth.

Interestingly enough, it was on this date in 1814 that the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812 and finally sent the British packing, securing the independence of the United States. We need to get back that resolve of fighting for what’s right, eliminating the oligarchs, addressing the needs of our citizens, and “ensuring the blessings of liberty.”

Unfortunately, I’m not sure we have what it takes.

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Monday Morning Update: 11/11/24

November 11, 2024

Sunday wasn’t a bad day, as things go. I felt decent enough to finally finish Tony’s pictures. It only took me three weeks, which isn’t a record but is still embarrassing. I’d say I can relax now, but there are still pictures from my last trip with Jen that I’ve not yet touched. This puts me in the position of having to ask myself if I’m as ready for a comeback as I thought I was. The answer, most likely, is no. I may never be ready for a complete comeback, which makes me incredibly sad.

Fortunately, G was here to keep my spirits up. He was in a fantastic mood yesterday, joking around, actually being nice to his sister, and talking up a storm. His frequent visits to my room kept me on my toes as his conversations always require me to completely stop what I’m doing and listen carefully to what he is saying. If he can get a zinger in about how old I am, he doesn’t miss it. At the same time, he’ll swing on a tree branch and laugh just like he did when he was six. It’s impossible to be down when you’ve got someone who can consistently make you laugh.

Kat came home and spent the night. As far as I can tell, she seems to have slept well. Her difficulty breathing is still obvious, though. I don’t know what her plans are for today, but I hope they include plenty of time for her to sit or lie down and recover. Kat tends to push herself; something she’s always had to do. Breaking that habit, and giving herself the space and time to fully recover is not easy for her. She wants to be up, taking care of things, moving around, and working. Right now, though, she needs to not do any of those things.

I tried watching the Colts game but turned it off and took a nap after Flacco threw two interceptions in the first quarter. That was enough to tell me that they were going to lose. I have a difficult time believing that there’s not a better QB sitting around somewhere in the NFL universe. And while Coach Stenchen is apologetic, I think Kenny Moore II, who caught an interception in the second half, is more in touch with what’s actually happening with the team. This is what he said in the locker room after the game:

“I don’t think everybody is working as hard as possible, and obviously it’s showing. I’m not the type to sugarcoat it, honestly. I don’t think the urgency is there. I don’t think the details are there. I don’t think the effort is there, and I don’t see everything correlating from meetings to practice to the games, and it shows. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves how bad we want it.”

“The thing that’s frustrating is we’re letting things leak into another week. To go out and make the same mistakes over and over—that’s what drives me insane as a player and individually. We are in November and I don’t see us making that jump from September to November. I’m seeing the same things. We just have to start addressing it and not sugarcoat or beat around the bush. I think that’s what we are lacking and year-to-year it’s the same thing.”

Holy shit. I hope Stenchen ponders on Moore’s words a bit this morning. I understand that there was some booing going on during yesterday’s game. We can’t let that get started here. Chicago fans are booing the Bears. Jets fans are being merciless when the team plays at home. We don’t need to be like them, but the Colts need to step the fuck up and show us they’re worth those million-dollar salaries.

There were some other really tight games yesterday. The Chiefs, in all honesty, should have lost yesterday’s game against the Broncos. Blocking that last-minute field goal saved their ass, but the fact remains that Kansas City played a lousy game. The same applies to the Lions as kicker Jake Bates made a 52-yard field goal at the last second to win the game against the Texans. Again, they should have lost. QB Jared Goff threw five interceptions! You don’t deserve to win when you’re playing that sloppily. Russell Wilson’s TD pass to Mike Williams lifted the Steelers over the Commanders 28-27, but the young Commanders were arguably the better team. This time next year, I expect it to be Washington who’s running roughshod over the division.

I’m not seeing a lot of news this morning that’s worth talking about. 25 of the Escaped Monkeys of 43 were Captured in South Carolina. And, somewhat hilariously, Mattel Mistakenly Listed A Porn Site on the Packaging for ‘Wicked’ Dolls. Oops!

What’s important is that today is Armistice/Veterans Day, one of the most increasingly forgotten holidays on the calendar. I came across an opinion piece by Vietnam vet Frank Lennon in the Providence Journal. The article is behind a paywall that’s difficult for anyone outside of Rhode Island to justify. So, let me quote a significant portion of that article for you here.

While looking up the 1924 Armistice Day information, I came across another event from that year that was pivotal in the history of how we treated our veterans. It was the passage of legislation providing Bonuses to WWI veterans.

After the euphoria of our victory in World War I died down, many veterans went through hard times. Most were disillusioned, because our government, and society at large, left them to fend for themselves. Adequate health care was beyond the reach of many, especially for “shell shock” – what we call PTSD today. Others found it difficult to find a job.

These problems were exacerbated by the Great Depression at the end of the 1920s. The already high unemployment rates among veterans increased. Vets competed for the few available jobs with civilian workers – many of whom had done very well during the way – while “our boys” got by on the pittance that Uncle Same paid them.

In 1924, Congress tried to redress some of this disparity through the World War Adjusted Compensation Act. It gave bonuses to all enlisted personnel who had served during wartime, with the amount based on each individual’s service time. There was an additional payment for overseas service.

The catch was that these bonuses were paid in the form of certificates, not cash. They functioned like insurance policies, and although they did accrue interest, veterans could not redeem them until 1945.

Rendered desperate by the Depression, veterans asked Congress to modify the law to allow the certificates to be cashed out immediately, when the need was most dire.

In May 1932, WWI veterans organized a march on Washington. At least 20,000 (and perhaps as many as 40,000) veterans, their families and supporters set up camps and occupied buildings in various locations in Washington. The largest camp was a shantytown on the Anacostia Flats across from the Navy Yard. They called themselves the BEF – “Bonus Expeditionary Forces,” a play on AEF, the banner under which most of them had fought during the war.

On July 28, 1932, the attorney general ordered their eviction. Washington police fired at the protesters, killing two veterans. President Herbert Hoover then ordered the Army to clear the campsites and move the protesters across the Anacostia River.

The troops advanced with Tanks, fixed bayonets and tear gas.

You might be surprised to know that Gen. Douglas MacArthur led the troops in this confrontation, along with his aide, Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The commander of the tank contingent was Maj. George S. Patton.

Despite specific orders from Hoover not to cross the bridge, MacArthur pressed on to the camp on the far side. (Perhaps a harbinger of things to come?)

The camp still held about 10,000 people. Tanks and tear gas drove out the Bonus Amer marchers, their wives and their children. Their shelters and belongings were burned. Injured civilians overwhelmed D.C.’s hospitals.

Chillingly, the Army deemed the exercise to be a success. The Bonus Army was gone.

The press saw it differently. The Washington Daily News called it “a pitiful spectacle” to see “the mightiest government in the world chasing unarmed men, women, and children with Army tanks. If the Army must be called out to make war on unarmed citizens, this is no longer America.”

And we thought being spit upon was as bad as it could get?

Throughout the 1930s, the strength of our military reached frighteningly low levels, and little if any emphasis was placed on veterans issues.

Then Pearl Harbor happened, and all of a sudden the military became important again. After the war ended, we could not do enough for our veterans. The GI Bill ensured that post-WWI problems would not be repeated. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, respect for veterans reached an all-time high.

Unfortunately, it took another all-in world war to make that happen.

…

About 25 years ago, Ge. Bernard Rogers, former Army chief of staff, made a very interesting point about the unique nature of military service in our society.

“A doctor contributes to his patients; a priest to the members of his parish; a lawyer contributes to his clients; a politician to his constituents. But those privileged to wear our nation’s uniforms belong to a profession in which every member, every day, makes a contribution – no matter how small – to every citizen of this great land.”

Those are words we should take to heart on this Veterans Day.

I concur. And as I consider how the president-elect is setting up his administration, with emphasis on “rounding up” immigrants and “making the country great,” I fear we will see repeats of Hoover’s disastrous orders. If MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton weren’t strong enough to stand up to illegal presidential orders, do we dare think that anyone in today’s Pentagon would respond any differently?

This is why I worry. This is why I am committed to being a safe person, a reliable resource, for anyone being assaulted by any portion of our government or the ridiculous laws it may pass.

Pass me that coffee pot. I need a refill.

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Morning Update: 10/28/24

October 28, 2024

Sunday ended up being anything but a day of rest. In fact, I’m typing part of this update Sunday evening because I have no idea what situation I’ll wake up to in the morning. Let’s take the day in somewhat chronological order. We were going quietly through the morning when the power started flickering. At first, it would blink for a second then come right back on. About an hour later, it happened again. Our first reaction was to blame the wind for causing wires to cross somewhere. We really didn’t think it would become a huge problem.

Then, Solaris decided to be destructive and threw my fan off the lamp table, causing it to break. G tried his best to fix it because he was sure that he could, but the fan refused to respond to his life support. I’m going to have to try to sleep listening to all the other sounds tonight.

When the power blinked again, near 1:00, I decided to go ahead and take another nap. I couldn’t watch the Colts game or the Bengals, so I might as well rest. I figured I’d wake up in time for the Washington/Chicago game.

Wrong again. A little after 3:00, I heard sirens, which isn’t unusual. Then, I heard them enter our subdivision, which doesn’t happen as often but does happen. I checked to make sure there was nothing going on in front of the house again, then came back to the room. The dogs wouldn’t leave me alone, though. They knew something outside was wrong. Finally, they convinced me to go outside. Still, I don’t see anything out front. Then, the dogs started barking at the Northeast corner of the fence, on the opposite side of the house. That’s usually a sign that something is happening down the street from us.

As I came around the corner of the house, it was obvious what had the dogs’ attention: six police cars gathered two blocks to our East. Other neighbors were starting to come outside and look, too. I finally got the dogs (mostly Hamilton) to quiet down and it was then that I heard the bullhorn of the SWAT commander telling someone to put down their gun and come out with their hands up. I think the entire neighborhood was holding its breath as we waited. We could see a sniper on a roof and other officers with their rifles trained and ready. An ambulance came in and waited out of range in front of our house. After several tense minutes, the situation was resolved. The ambulance moved in, the cops moved out, and all the neighbors remarked about what a shithole the city has become.

I came back inside and the power was out again. By now, it was staying off long enough that the clocks on the appliances were all blinking. When it came back on, I started my computer back up. Then G started his computer as well. The power immediately went back down. When the power came back, the same thing happened. Then, we noticed that it was only the bedrooms being affected. The washer and dryer were still going. The living room light was still on. That was the heads-up to check the breakers.

I went to check and none of the breakers had flipped. I started turning them off and back on, one at a time, because nothing was marked. After flipping the third one-off, the power came back to the bedrooms. But when G tried powering up his PC, it went back down again.

Bottom line, we have a breaker issue. But, we have questions because this is the original breaker box in a house that’s roughly 80 years old. We have no idea when the breakers or any other wiring might have been updated. There’s no record.

I messaged Kat. Her fever was back up and she was debating going back to the ER. I filled her in and told her to stay in Fishers and not worry about things here. For the moment, she needs to focus on herself, not things here at the house.

I looked at the breaker panel. Do individual breakers have fuses? All that’s visible are the breaker switches. Is there a way to know exactly what I need without turning all the power off to remove the panel cover? I’m going to try to catch our next-door neighbor in the morning. His house is wired similarly to ours and I know he’s completely replaced his breaker box twice. I’m hoping he can give me some answers. I just don’t want the matter to end up on Kat’s plate. She has more than enough right now.

I thought for sure that Chicago had beaten Washington with a last-minute touchdown, and I think they thought the same, but it was not to be. With 25 seconds on the clock, the Commanders’ rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, heaved a 53-yard pass that seemed absolutely impossible. Noah Brown caught it and took it to the end zone. Commanders win, 18-15. I’m going to say it again: Jayden Daniels is the future of the NFL. The kid is amazing. And Chicago? Better luck next week.

Now it’s Monday morning. Everything appears to be okay, at least for the moment. I’m still not turning on my PC until after the kids leave for school. I found a black screen white noise video on YouTube and let that serenade me to sleep, but the cats kept stopping it when they’d jump on the desk. I think I need a better option.

Both kids have PSAT tests this week. G’s is today. He seems relatively ready. Tipper’s is tomorrow. I’m not sure she has a clue what to expect. It will be interesting to see if G’s score differs much from last year. He tests relatively well as long as he is in a quiet room, not being disturbed. Tipper finds tests more of a challenge. In this case, I’m not sure she appreciates what the test is trying to accomplish.

The three primary news sources I check each morning, the Associated Press, Reuters, and the New York Times are all in agreement with their headlines this morning. The Orange Felon’s rally at Madison Square Garden was vile, racist, and misogynistic. Are we surprised or shocked? Of course not. What bothers me is that so many people are comfortable with the rhetoric. With all the emphasis in society on doing away with bullying, why the fuck would we ever consider electing one as president?

Anita Hill has an interesting OpEd in today’s Times, The Smearing of Kamala Harris. Dr. Hill knows a smear job when she sees one. It was her name that was dragged through the mud during the Clarence Thomas Senate hearings all those years ago. As time has passed, we see that she was right to blow the whistle on one of the worst characters to ever sit on the Supreme Court. We should have listened then. Will we listen now?

This morning’s AP-NORC poll shows that US voters are concerned about post-election violence and efforts to overturn the results. I know I’m concerned. I look at how things are going in the Georgian (the country) elections and fear that we are every bit as bad, if not possibly worse, than them. Similar things are happening with elections in Lithuania and Uruguay. The world is a dangerous place and we, citizens of presumably the strongest nation in the world, are doing more to make things worse than better. Foreign threats to the US election are on the rise, and officials are moving faster to expose them, but will that be enough? ‘Take our lives seriously,’ Michelle Obama pleads as she rallies for Kamala Harris in Michigan, but is anyone listening?

Global economy chiefs fret over a Trump return as US election draws closer. The Commercial real estate industry worries over higher taxes as election looms. The GOP is going in heavy on immigrants and trans people, but it’s a South African immigrant who worked in the US illegally who’s leading their charge. None of this makes a damn lick of sense, but one thing is for sure: Your vote does not merely affect the course of the country but of the world. Everyone is going to be looking in our direction for the next two weeks and if we blow it, if we elect a fascist or allow them to commit acts of chaos and destruction, it is democracy as a global ideal, not a national one, that takes the hit. Remember, we set the example. Other countries followed. Are we going to kill the dream we started?

Oh, and if you think the election is the reason gas prices are down, guess again. Oil prices plunged 5% after a limited Israeli retaliatory attack on Iran. There are a number of places where the price at the pump has dropped below $3 a gallon. Don’t give any politician the credit for something they didn’t do.

A Florida woman was found guilty of murder for leaving her boyfriend to die in a suitcase. Ladies, don’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about doing this to an abusive person in your life.

A Lebanese family was holding a Sunday gathering when an Israeli strike toppled their building. There’s no question that the strike illustrates Israel’s willingness to kill significant numbers of civilians in pursuit of a single target. More than 70 people died. Innocent people getting together as a family. And we’re supporting this.

But hey, McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is back on the menu after testing rules out beef patties as an E. coli source. That’s what’s important, isn’t it? What ever would we do without our overpriced fat sources?

Even the weather isn’t cooperating this week. After a beautifully cool autumnal weekend, winds begin picking up tonight, and into tomorrow and we’ll see highs back in the 80s on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, just in time for all that Trick-or-Treating, it’s going to rain on Thursday. I know Tipper’s planning on going to haunted houses with furry friends.

Ugh. I need to get dressed and get the dogs outside. They’ve been calm and quiet so far this morning. They’re about the only thing calm in my universe. Best to try and keep them that way.

And more coffee. I definitely need more coffee.

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Morning Update: 10/24/24

October 24, 2024

In case you’ve not been paying attention, we have nine cats. They’re all rescues of one kind or another. Each has a very unique personality and plays a specific role in this family of ours. So, when Kat woke up a little before 3:00 this morning and saw a window screen lying on top of Jack-Jack, our mane coon, she quickly jumped up and started taking inventory. One of the front windows was wide open, so the odds that there had been an escape were pretty high.

Seven of the cats were found quickly enough, especially once I was up and moving at 4:00. The cats associate my morning habits with filling their food bowls, so they came running. All but one. Kronk, aka Pinball, was still missing. Kronk doesn’t miss breakfast so that was a sure sign that he was still outside… somewhere. I put on shoes and a coat and started looking, but came up empty. The air was a chilly 40 degrees. I assumed that he was curled up somewhere trying to stay warm. I came back inside.

Now, the dogs were awake and wanted to go outside. Fine. They’re pretty good at rousing any beast of any kind that might be wandering the yard. We went back outside and let them have a look around. Still, nothing. We came back inside, gave them treats, and I started a pot of coffee. There was no point trying to go back to bed when I knew our little guy had to be outside in the cold.

Kat and I were chatting when we heard a noise at the window. She jumped up to look and saw Kronk scamper away. Back outside I went. I saw him for a brief moment, but he darted under a large, bush-like tree and disappeared. Kat soon joined me, barefoot, and we continued trying to coax the little guy out. Finally, he came around the corner of the shed and Kat was quick to scoop him up. He’s now safe, curled up in the middle of my bed, sound asleep.

In the middle of all this, I started getting text messages from Tipper. Her leg hurt. Her arm was numb. She didn’t want to go to school. Her attempts to get out of school are becoming problematic, enough that I’m wondering what’s really going on. Why does she want to avoid school? I’m not getting an answer to that question. We went back and forth while I was looking for Kronk. I’m not letting her stay home today. I’m a mean ol’ Dad, I’m sure.

Kat’s finally back asleep, but I’m wired for the time being. Even on a good day, it takes my body some time to recover from being out in the cold. I’m sure I’ll crash after the kids have gone to school. Fat Guy is reminding me that it’s now the normal time for them to be fed. We have a schedule, you know, and we’re forced to keep it.

The headlines this morning are infuriating. The first set to assault my eyes were:
Israeli strike kills Lebanese troops as France hosts aid conference
Israeli strikes kill 42 in Gaza as tanks tighten siege of north
Attackers kill 5, injure 22 at Turkish aviation site
Election officials are fighting a tsunami of voting conspiracy theories
Hurricane Kristy strengthens into a Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean
Seoul vows response as North Korean troops head to Ukraine
Macron says France will provide a 100 million-euro aid package to support Lebanon
Boeing Workers Resoundingly Reject Contract and Vote to Extend Strike

If that’s not enough to give one a headache, there are all the follow-up stories:
John Kelly Warns Donald Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator
At Town Hall Event, Harris Agrees That Trump Is a Fascist
World Opens to the Taliban Despite Their Shredding of Women’s Rights
Seth Meyers Isn’t as Nice as You Think He Is
Study on Puberty Blockers Goes Unpublished Because of Politics, Doctor Says
Los Angeles Times editor resigns after newspaper withholds presidential endorsement
Nearly 25 million votes have already been cast as Harris, Trump hit battleground states
Indonesia says its coast guard drove away a Chinese ship that interrupted survey in disputed sea
Should elephants have the same rights as people? (Yes, that’s a serious headline)
People 50 and older should get pneumococcal vaccine, U.S. health officials recommend
More frozen waffles and pancakes recalled over possible listeria contamination

Dizzying, isn’t it? I’ve had plenty of reading time this morning so now I’m thoroughly depressed about the state of the world. With this comes the inevitable question of ‘what can I do about any of it?’ Answers to that question don’t come easily.

One thing we’ve done for the first time is put campaign signs in our yard. Kat came home yesterday with both a Harris/Walz and McCormick for Governor sign. We’ve been cautious about making such statements in the past. Putting signs in our yard, making any kind of political statement in this neighborhood, potentially makes our house a target. We both agreed that should we see anyone in the yard we’ll let the dogs out to wreak their havoc and terror. Hamilton’s been extra high-strung of late anyway and he’s fast for a fat dog.

What else is there? I don’t believe memes change anyone’s mind about anything, and quite honestly, I question the authenticity and origin of most of what I see online. Misinformation is so rampant this year that I hesitate to share anything that doesn’t come from one of the few sources I trust. If anything, I think it might defuse some of the tension if we saw fewer memes on social media.

But then, there’s this headline this morning: One Tech Tip: How to prepare your online accounts in case you die. That’s an above-the-fold headline. What it inevitably says, though its intent is otherwise, is that the world is going to hell without the luxury of a handbasket and you need to have your shit in order just in case we all become victims. In conversations with a friend earlier this week I admitted that I’m not making any plans of any kind beyond November 5 because I don’t trust what might happen. There are too many people who think they need to take back something that never existed. They won’t be happy until the US is covered in chaos and disorder.

Even religious gatherings aren’t safe anymore. I’m seeing an increase in the number of people stating that Christianity in the US is acting more like a political party than a religion. No, I’m not linking to any of those articles because, again, I don’t trust the sources. The simple fact that I’ve seen more than five related pieces, though, should be alarming. People shouldn’t have reason to ask such a question of their faith.

There is no crystal ball capable of predicting what happens next. Don’t trust the polls. Don’t trust the talking heads on television. If elephants have the same rights as people, does that mean they get to vote? At this point, there’s not much that surprises me.

Both kids are headed to school. Tipper didn’t bother coming in and talking to me as she got ready. We’ll see how the day goes. Life is hard for everyone. While I’m largely sympathetic, Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty, reminds me that we have to overcome obstacles and keep our fur clean. No one thrives when their lives become a matted mess.

I’m still unreasonably wired. I’m going to eat something, take my meds, and hopefully catch a few Zs.

Stay safe. Drink more coffee.

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Morning Update: 07/21/24

July 21, 2024

Contemplation [2019 original with AI background]

Good morning, America! It’s Race Day? Or is it? Does anyone even care at this point? For the first time since 2020, The Brickyard 400 is back. And while NASCAR has tried hyping up the event, the reality is that the North 40 was less than half-full for yesterday’s Xfinity Cup race. Gates opened at 6:00 this morning. I’m pretty sure everyone in the neighborhood slept through it. I know I did. There are no cars parking in the neighborhood. I’m not even sure that the East gate to the North 40 is going to be opened.

To demonstrate just how far NASCAR and the Brickyard have fallen from social importance, look at the front page of the home of all things sports: ESPN. Scroll down. Further. Further. Past the story about the NFL Flag Football Championships. Past the part about the Hungarian Grand Prix. Go all the way to the bottom. No mention of the Brickyard or anything NASCAR. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The world just doesn’t give a fuck.

I took the dogs out just now (in case you didn’t notice the 15-minute break in writing). The only activity was a couple of squirrels playing in the tree next door and a cotton-tailed bunny scampering across the street to get away from the pups. There is no line of cars on 30th Street waiting to get into the North 40. No helicopters are whirling overhead, jockeying for the best shot for the local morning shows. Even local news stations have pushed the event way down the list of topics on a morning where a man was injured in a shooting on Indy’s northwest side, and a large fight broke out in Anderson road leading to several shot, 2 in serious condition.

Motorsport tried blaming the lack of interest on 2008’s miserable tire incident. I think it’s a little late for that conversation. NASCAR in Indy was still strong as late as 2014. That was the last year we had to park cars in our yard for the race. This morning’s showing is about as pitiful as that of some of the other races that only lure hardcore fans such as the Indy Autonomous Challenge in September or the Indy 8 Hour in October.

The truth? No one really wants the hard-drinking, confederate flag-waving, mullet-wearing, homophobic, transphobic, backward-thinking attitude that comes with NASCAR. Sure, they’ve banned Confederate flags on the cars and merchandise. But they can’t ban the attitude that leaves a trail of beer cans and DUIs in its wake. Apparently, one has to be day drunk and sunburned to enjoy NASCAR and the audience for that has gotten too old, or too poor, or too interested in other things to bother. It could also be that the absence of any kind of concert in connection with the race has limited attendance. There’s not even any noise down in Turn 3 this morning.

They’ll have to put on one helluva show today if NASCAR wants to have any chance of luring back enough fans to even fill half of the seats at IMS. The Brickyard, as it stands now, is irrelevant.

Yesterday was a bit of a bust. I fell back asleep shortly after posting yesterday’s morning update. I even slept through the scheduled posting of yesterday’s missive on what the Founding Fathers had to say about religion. I did manage to wake up right before Kat left for the weekend. I did some trimming around one portion of the fence, trying to encourage the kids to finish the job (they didn’t). I tried eating some leftovers and then crashed again. This is becoming a bit too routine. Yet, I’m not motivated to actually change anything. Where would I go? What would I do that would make for a reasonable alternative sufficient to keep me upright?

The one holdover of NASCAR tradition was our neighbor’s “Party Before The Race” last night. They had friends over, grilled out, drank a lot of Bud Light, and sang karaoke horribly right up until the noise curfew at 11:00 PM. For reasons I can’t explain, the noise from their party, which really wasn’t that intrusive, caused me to have a bit of a panic attack. That hasn’t happened before. I curled up on the bed with the animals for about an hour until the panic went away.

I can’t remember the last time I had a panic attack. That’s not part of our routine here. Nothing is going on that should trigger such an event. I’ve heard a lot of bad karaoke and it’s never resulted in a response like this. I was a basket case and the animals could tell even though the kids couldn’t. They weren’t aware that anything was wrong at all. Dad was just lying down again. The animals snuggled in closer than normal. Pinball got right up next to my face. They stayed with me until I felt like sitting back up. I don’t know what I would do without them. All of them.

What’s making headlines this morning? Last night’s WNBA All-Star Game. This is a sign of a new world, a world in which women genuinely matter even in our pastimes. Has the WNBA All-Star game ever garnered this much attention? No. It’s the top story from ESPN this morning and that’s never happened. People are interested and excited about it and for multiple good reasons.

Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings was the undisputed star of the show. She put up 34 points in the win, all of which came in the second half. Rookie superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were in the game long enough to give fans a taste of their talent, but Clark even declined to sub in for Ogunbowale because the Dallas star was on too hot of a shooting streak to disturb.

The conversation going on in private circles, however, is the fact that the WNBA All-Stars beat the US Olympic squad, 117-109. Why isn’t the All-Star team the one going to the Olympics? Why is the US sending what appears to be a second-rate team that, at best, has its work cut out for it if they’re going to medal in the games at all? Mind you, US women haven’t lost an Olympic basketball game since 1992. They go in as clear favorites despite last night’s loss. Still, it begs the question as to why the best we have aren’t playing for the team, especially Ogunbowale.

At the same time, let’s not lose sight of the fact that we have become a society where people are actually asking that question and they’re serious about the game. One can spin this in almost any direction they want and it still comes out a win for women’s sports in general, and for the WNBA specifically (if the league doesn’t blow the opportunity). Already, the WNBA is looking at a new $200 million media contract (which some think is still too low) and is considering expanding the season to 44 games next year. The Olympics will only add fuel to that movement as women dominate many of the more popular sports. The only remaining question is whether this female-positive attitude can carry over to other social aspects and even into the realm of politics.

Women are definitely the ones with the most power at this moment. Take a look at some of the headlines that have been popping up recently. From the Council on Foreign Relations: Women Voters’ Pivotal Role in Electing the Next U.S. President. AARP sponsored a poll: Women May Be the Deciding Vote. Health policy organization KFF did a poll as well and narrowed the focus more with 4 Takeaways About Black Women Voters in the 2024 Election. Fortune magazine is looking at how the Orange Felon, and the GOP in general, is weak against women with this article: After vanquishing Trump in court, E. Jean Carroll urges women to focus on the presidential election. The powerful attorney is certain that women will be who decide the race.

If this trend looks bad for anyone, it’s because the issues that matter the most to women: healthcare, abortion, and equity, are all on the line. From the non-committal ambiguity of the official Republican Platform to the frightening talk in Project 2025, women’s major issues are at risk of being gutted, overturned, and weaponized in a way we’ve not seen in the past 100 years. As they look at what they have to lose, they have to seriously question whether either party can be trusted to deliver the strong actions they want for the future.

What may ultimately move women in one direction or the other could depend on who is running on the Democratic ticket. While I generally support re-electing President Biden, in large part because I question the strategy of “changing horses midstream,” I think we’re at a point where asking questions about Kamala Harris’ ability to carry the party as the top name on the ticket is a legitimate stance. Newsweek is of the opinion that, with the right running mate, Harris can definitely win this election.

Women have been waiting a long time for a presidential candidate that adequately supported their views. They were severely disappointed in 2016 when the farcical results of the Electoral College robbed them of a win. Ms. Harris is a dramatically different personality from Mrs. Clinton and the question of whether she can pull out wins in the states necessary for an Electoral College victory is, at this point, still unanswerable. I do not doubt that it could happen; the numbers are definitely there to support such an outcome. Will enough women actually respond in the states where they need to respond? Do Democrats have a machine capable of turning out that level of voting?

There is so much at risk in this upcoming election that Democrats don’t have any spare room to stumble in their decisions. Every move has to count. Every action has to be forceful. Otherwise, we will lose our democracy to a lunatic fringe that threatens to destroy the country at its very core.

I’ve taken almost three hours to write this morning’s update. The dogs have been out twice. I’ve chatted with the kids and exchanged texts with Kat. I feel a need to get out and do something, but I’m not sure what, where, or how.

If I wasn’t on this damn chemo, I’d be sending out applications to cover the election for some under-funded online publication. For now, we’ll both have to settle with me being here. I understand if you’re disappointed.

Current Issues / Long Read / Mythology / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / science / Social Commentary

Let’s Talk: Common Sense From Founding Fathers

July 20, 2024

Ignoring The Disaster [2011 original image with AI background]

WARNING: some people may find the following content offensive. If they don’t, then I’ve missed the mark. I’ve sat quietly, more or less, for a whole week without going on any diatribes about how absolutely ludicrous it is to pay any attention to the Orange Felon, let alone follow him. There has been an absolute sea of misinformation on both sides and I’d really rather not wade into the muck and mire that is being perpetrated by those who genuinely want to see our country fail. I’ve had enough, though, and there are some things I think we need to straighten out. Fortunately, there were stupid people around during the American Revolution as well, so the Founding Fathers had plenty to say about many of the issues we’re still fighting over today.

One of the things precipitating this post was an item posted on Facebook by a group called Heavens Army For America. As far as I can tell, they’re no legal entity and it honestly looks like the work of one person, possibly even a bot. What brought them to my attention, however, was one of their posts was shared by a person I once respected. The post takes Leviticus 8, specifically verses 22-24, wildly out of context and claims that the blood coming from the right ear of the Felon is a symbol of his consecration by God. I saw the post and wanted to throw up.

First of all, Leviticus chapters 8-14 focus on one thing and one thing only: The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests. Painful detail is taken in describing this multi-day event that involves the slaughter of multiple animals and the placing of blood on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. This was done for Aaron only as a high priest, not his sons. The sons merely had blood sprinkled on their garments. If there is any correlation to be drawn between this and the attempted assassination of the political ass, and there isn’t, but if there were, it would only be for the establishment of a high priest for a temple located in a desert. There’s nothing here that equates to the deity in charge choosing a President for the United States some 6,000 years in the future.

Second, to believe such nonsense demonstrates an incredible level of Biblical naivete. In fact, after looking at the passage of scripture in multiple mistranslations (Christians are especially bad at translating ancient Hebrew texts), the only way one can jump to such a ludicrous conclusion as to think that there is relevance in the passage for anyone living today, regardless of their ambition, is to completely cast aside all historical context and read it as a far-fetched futuristic fairy tale! There’s no intelligence here! There’s no authority here! There’s no textual understanding here! This is all fabricated nonsense designed to pander to conservative Christians from Red Oak, Oklahoma who dream about the United States having a king.

A king? Honestly? We’re going to talk about the US having any kind of system that resembles a monarchy or any other type of system that defies democracy? What part of the Constitution are these people not understanding? How in the world does any intelligent person, or even semi-intelligent person, read the Declaration of Independence and think for one second that any type of authoritarian rule is what is best for the United States?

“Well, the Founders said…”

Shut the fuck up. You don’t have a fucking clue what the Founders said if you’re falling for this claptrap. Let’s take a look at what the Founders really had to say and LET’S TAKE IT IN THE FUCKING CONTEXT IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN!

Let’s start with Thomas Paine’s introduction to the pamphlet that was the metaphorical match lighting the dynamite of the American Revolution. Paine wrote:

Of the origin and design of government in general. With concise remarks on the English constitution.

SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. – Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expence and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.

I especially like that part about, “The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions.” By all means, can we please go with the side that encourages intercourse? Of course, I know Paine was not making a sexual reference (or was he?), but his point is far from lost. A restrictive government, however necessary in some situations, tramples on the general freedoms of good people to restrain the actions of bad people. The more authoritarian a Government is, the more freedoms are lost. The more power a Government claims for itself, the fewer rights exist for the people it governs.

What the GOP is currently proposing in their platform is a government so ardently authoritative that even King George III, as mad as he was, looks generous by comparison. What we see on page after page of Project 2025 is not the freedom to build an open society as the Founders intended, but rather, one tightly glued to the worship of a deity that never has existed, never will exist, and if it did exist would be despised by all. Sure, they’re using the language and literature of Christianity, but those with a scholastic understanding of the texts understand that what Republicans propose hardly brushes the shade of anything intended by the Bible or its characters.

So, it’s not the least bit surprising that when we examine the words of the Founders themselves, we’re more likely to find contempt for Christianity than an open embracing of the religion. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at more than one or two cherry-picked examples.

“Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787

“Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man.”
-Thomas Jefferson

“A professorship of theology should have no place in our institution”
-Thomas Jefferson

“The priests of the different religious sects… dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight, and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subdivision of the duperies on which they live.”
– Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Correa de Serra, April 11, 1820

“Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies.”
– Thomas Jefferson

Yeah, Jefferson had a lot to say on the subject. Here’s more:

“Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

“But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

“Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting “Jesus Christ,” so that it would read “A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;” the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom

“I concur with you strictly in your opinion of the comparative merits of atheism and demonism, and really see nothing but the latter in the being worshipped by many who think themselves Christians.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789 (Richard Price had written to him on Oct. 26th about the harm done by religion and wrote “Would not Society be better without Such religions? Is Atheism less pernicious than Demonism?”)

“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Francis Hopkinson, March 13, 1789

“I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Elbridge Gerry, 26 January 1799

“They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion.”
-Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Sept. 23, 1800

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and State.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

Now, read this next one quite carefully, please. He’s talking to a congregation of Baptists in what has always been a conservative and highly religious state.

“Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person’s life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting the “wall of separation between church and state,” therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society. We have solved … the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results from leaving every one to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries.”

Those statements were made in 1808 and throughout the rest of his life, Jefferson never let up. Here’s some more:

“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.”
-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813

“The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814

“Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

“In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Horatio G. Spafford, March 17, 1814
[Note: Horatio G. Spafford was the Presbyterian minister best known for writing the hymn It Is Well With My Soul. Mr. Jefferson didn’t seem to care about the pastor’s relative popularity.]

“If we did a good act merely from love of God and a belief that it is pleasing to Him, whence arises the morality of the Atheist? …Their virtue, then, must have had some other foundation than the love of God.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Law, June 13, 1814

Remember this quote, and feel free to use it, the next time someone complains that you’re being too hostile in your argument against Republicans:

“Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 30 July, 1816
[A “mountebank” is a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.]

“My opinion is that there would never have been an infidel, if there had never been a priest. The artificial structures they have built on the purest of all moral systems, for the purpose of deriving from it pence and power, revolts those who think for themselves, and who read in that system only what is really there.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Mrs. Samuel H. Smith, August 6, 1816

“You say you are a Calvinist. I am not. I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Ezra Stiles Ely, June 25, 1819

“As you say of yourself, I too am an Epicurian. I consider the genuine (not the imputed) doctrines of Epicurus as containing everything rational in moral philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short, Oct. 31, 1819
[Epicurus and his disciples believed either there were no gods or, if there were, the gods were so remote from humans that they were not worth worrying about. Similarly, humans would not have to worry about the afterlife. Instead, humans should live by maximizing their pleasure. You can read more about the doctrines of Epicurus here.]

“Man once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind.”
-Thomas Jefferson to James Smith, 1822.

Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him [Jesus] by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence; and others again of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism, and imposture, as to pronounce it impossible that such contradictions should have proceeded from the same being.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short, April 13, 1820

“I can never join Calvin in addressing his god. He was indeed an Atheist, which I can never be; or rather his religion was Daemonism. If ever man worshiped a false god, he did.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

“And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

“It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it [the Apocalypse], and I then considered it merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to General Alexander Smyth, Jan. 17, 1825

“May it be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all,) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Roger C. Weightman, June 24, 1826 (in the last letter he penned)

Those comments alone should be enough to put away any argument about the United States being founded by Christian men with Christian principles. But, just in case there’s any lingering doubt, here are the opinions of additional founders.

“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.”
– Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man, 1791

“The legislature of the United States shall pass no law on the subject of religion.”
– Charles Pinckney, Constitutional Convention, 1787

“The American states have gone far in assisting the progress of truth; but they have stopped short of perfection. They ought to have given every honest citizen an equal right to enjoy his religion and an equal title to all civil emoluments, without obliging him to tell his religion. Every interference of the civil power in regulating opinion, is an impious attempt to take the business of the Deity out of his own hands; and every preference given to any religious denomination, is so far slavery and bigotry.”
– Noah Webster, calling for no religious tests to serve in public office, Sketches of American Policy, 1785

“Some very worthy persons, who have not had great advantages for information, have objected against that clause in the constitution which provides, that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. They have been afraid that this clause is unfavorable to religion. But my countrymen, the sole purpose and effect of it is to exclude persecution, and to secure to you the important right of religious liberty. We are almost the only people in the world, who have a full enjoyment of this important right of human nature. In our country every man has a right to worship God in that way which is most agreeable to his conscience. If he be a good and peaceable person he is liable to no penalties or incapacities on account of his religious sentiments; or in other words, he is not subject to persecution. But in other parts of the world, it has been, and still is, far different. Systems of religious error have been adopted, in times of ignorance. It has been the interest of tyrannical kings, popes, and prelates, to maintain these errors. When the clouds of ignorance began to vanish, and the people grew more enlightened, there was no other way to keep them in error, but to prohibit their altering their religious opinions by severe persecuting laws. In this way persecution became general throughout Europe.”
– Oliver Ellsworth [Philip B Kurland and Ralph Lerner (eds.), The Founder’s Constitution, University of Chicago Press, 1987, Vol. 4, p.638]

Knowledge and liberty are so prevalent in this country, that I do not believe that the United States would ever be disposed to establish one religious sect, and lay all others under legal disabilities. But as we know not what may take place hereafter, and any such test would be exceedingly injurious to the rights of free citizens, I cannot think it altogether superfluous to have added a clause, which secures us from the possibility of such oppression.”
– Oliver Wolcott, Connecticut Ratifying Convention, 9 January 1788

“A man of abilities and character, of any sect whatever, may be admitted to any office or public trust under the United States. I am a friend to a variety of sects, because they keep one another in order. How many different sects are we composed of throughout the United States? How many different sects will be in congress? We cannot enumerate the sects that may be in congress. And there are so many now in the United States that they will prevent the establishment of any one sect in prejudice to the rest, and will forever oppose all attempts to infringe religious liberty. If such an attempt be made, will not the alarm be sounded throughout America? If congress be as wicked as we are foretold they will, they would not run the risk of exciting the resentment of all, or most of the religious sects in America.”
– Edmund Randolph, address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 10, 1788

“It is contrary to the principles of reason and justice that any should be compelled to contribute to the maintenance of a church with which their consciences will not permit them to join, and from which they can derive no benefit; for remedy whereof, and that equal liberty as well religious as civil, may be universally extended to all the good people of this commonwealth.”
– George Mason, Virginia Declaration of Rights, 1776

“In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
– Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)

I especially enjoy this one from a largely overlooked President.

“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. Let us, then, look to the great cause, and endeavor to preserve it in full force. Let us by all wise and constitutional measures promote intelligence among the people as the best means of preserving our liberties.”
– James Monroe, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1817

“Experience witnesseth that ecclesiastical establishments, instead of maintaining the purity and efficacy of religion, have had a contrary operation. During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”
– James Madison, “A Memorial and Remonstrance”, 1785

“What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not.”
ibid.

Almost as verbose on the topic as Jefferson was John Adams. The fact that the two were political opponents makes their agreements on these topics all the more powerful. Let’s take a look:

“As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?
– John Adams, letter to F.A. Van der Kamp, Dec. 27, 1816

“l almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved – the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!”
– John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson

“What havoc has been made of books through every century of the Christian era? Where are fifty gospels, condemned as spurious by the bull of Pope Gelasius? Where are the forty wagon-loads of Hebrew manuscripts burned in France, by order of another pope, because suspected of heresy? Remember the ‘index expurgatorius’, the inquisition, the stake, the axe, the halter and the guillotine.”
– John Adams, letter to John Taylor

“The priesthood have, in all ancient nations, nearly monopolized learning. And ever since the Reformation, when or where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate A FREE INQUIRY? The blackest billingsgate, the most ungentlemanly insolence, the most yahooish brutality, is patiently endured, countenanced, propagated, and applauded. But touch a solemn truth in collision with a dogma of a sect, though capable of the clearest proof, and you will find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets will swarm about your eyes and hand, and fly into your face and eyes.”
-John Adams, letter to John Taylor

“The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”
– John Adams, “A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” 1787-1788

“Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”
– John Adams, “A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” (1787-88)

“We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.”
– John Adams, letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785

Oh, and we dare not forget the senior statement of the Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, who had these words to say:

“Lighthouses are more useful than churches.” – Benjamin Franklin

“If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both there (England) and in New England.”
– Benjamin Franklin

“You desire to know something of my religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it. But I cannot take your curiosity amiss, and shall endeavour in a few words to gratify it. Here is my creed. I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His providence. That He ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render Him is doing good to His other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental principles of all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them…

As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the Truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as probably it has, of making his doctrines more respected and better observed; especially as I do not perceive that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in His government of the world with any particular marks of His displeasure…

I shall only add, respecting myself, that, having experienced the goodness of that Being in conducting me prosperously through a long life, I have no doubt of its continuance in the next, without the smallest conceit of meriting it… I confide that you will not expose me to criticism and censure by publishing any part of this communication to you. I have ever let others enjoy their religious sentiments, without reflecting on them for those that appeared to me unsupportable and even absurd. All sects here, and we have a great variety, have experienced my good will in assisting them with subscriptions for building their new places of worship; and, as I never opposed any of their doctrines, I hope to go out of the world in peace with them all.”
– Benjamin Franklin, letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale, shortly before his death; from “Benjamin Franklin” by Carl Van Doren, the October 1938 Viking Press edition pages 777-778 Also see Alice J. Hall, “Philosopher of Dissent: Benj. Franklin,” National Geographic, Vol. 148, No. 1, July, 1975, p. 94

“It is pity that good works, among some sorts of people, are so little valued, and good words admired in their stead. I mean seemingly pious discourses, instead of humane, benevolent actions. These they almost put out of countenance by calling morality, rotten morality; righteousness, ragged righteousness, and even filthy rags, and when you mention virtue, pucker up their noses; at the same time that they eagerly snuff up an empty, canting harangue, as if it were a posy of the choicest flowers”
– Benjamin Franklin, 1758, to his sister, Mrs. Jane Mecom, Works, Vol. VII., p. 185

“My parents had early given me religious impressions and brought me through my childhood piously in the dissenting [puritan]way. But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself. Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle’s lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough deist”
– Benjamin Franklin, “Autobiography,” p.66 as published in *The American Tradition in Literature,* seventh edition (short), McGraw-Hill,p.180

And finally, for the holdouts who still mistakenly think George Washington signed the Declaration of Independence, here’s what the nation’s first President had to say.

“If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.”
– George Washington, letter to the United Baptist Chamber of Virginia, May 1789

“Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society.”
– George Washington, letter to Edward Newenham, October 20, 1792

“We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition… In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States.”
– George Washington, letter to the members of the New Church in Baltimore, January 27, 1793

After all of that, it seems to be disingenuous that the phrase “God bless America” should ever come out of our mouths. Moreover, it is disturbing the accuracy with which these Founding Fathers predicted the ills that would befall us if we ever allowed religion to take the place of reason, science, and our ever-expanding understanding of nature. They understood the history of how horribly religion had corrupted Europe and its leaders for hundreds of years and were explicit in their warnings and determination that the United States should not follow down the same path.

Yet, here we are, dangerously close to destroying everything that the Founding Fathers fought so hard to achieve. How can we in good conscience let them down by voting for anything resembling a Republican, any member of the GOP no matter how compromising they may appear in the campaign, anyone who claims to represent God first, or to be a prophet of a church, or in any way, shape, or form dare to put the principles of their misinterpretation of the Bible before the clear intent of the Founders?

Again, these are not new conversations. If there had not been people in 1776 with the same arguments that we’re hearing from the GOP platform now, there would have been no reason for our Founding Fathers to have made such a strong and continuous rebuttal. There have been bad actors all along the way and to this point we have managed to hold them in check and prevent them from undermining this careful balance between government and society.

Sadly, it appears that such a balance is on the verge of tipping into Fascism and Authoritarianism using the name of God as a battering ram, and ridiculing those who dare to stand up against them. Yes, people are being doxed. Yes, people are being threatened with retribution. Yes, people are losing their jobs. Our Founding Fathers were willing to lay down their lives and while I hope that we would never be pressed to make such a decision, we have to attack this election with that same attitude that we would rather die than let the country fall to a felonious orange-color despot and his henchmen.

I hope you will take these quotes and use them as the weapons they are against insanity and absolute stupidity. While my words may hold no weight in any theater of debate, those of the Founders most certainly do. Use them. Use them repeatedly and without apology.

Do not let this country die.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary / Status

Morning Update: 07/19/24

July 19, 2024

Yesterday was rough on this Dad’s emotions. One might think that, after seeing four boys taking the same step, watching child number five starting high school might be non-eventful. One would be wrong. The whole event tugged on my heartstrings because not only is this the last child, but it’s also the only girl out of the bunch. We won’t be doing this again. What are firsts for her are lasts for me. She’s growing up, I’m just growing old. She used to reach for my hand. Now she reaches for my arm to help me go down the stairs.

She had a doctor’s appointment first, to check on whether to adjust her ADHD meds. She was thrilled to finally weigh over 100 pounds (just barely). She hasn’t gotten much taller, though, which she found disappointing. Her doctor, who tells us she’s from “a place in the former Soviet Union,” was excited about her starting high school and tried to be encouraging. She’s adjusting Tipper’s meds down a little for the first month to see how things go.

As we drove to the school, my head was flooded with memories. Tipper was two years old when I first met her. She had a huge smile. She was only moderately shy at first and it wasn’t long before she was riding on my shoulders. Before long, I was the one she looked at to put her in her car seat while Kat took care of G. She’d cuddle with me when she wasn’t feeling well and fell asleep on my shoulder more than a few times. Arguments with her mom were common, but she would calmly discuss her issues with me, let me dry her tears, and reach a compromise (if there was one to be had) before going to apologize to Mommy.

Since I started chemo, she’s been the first visitor in my room every morning. She comes in, pets the animals, and we talk about whatever’s coming up for the day. She keeps me updated on whatever anime she’s watching (that I still don’t understand), tells me her ideas for a furry costume of some sort, tells me what’s going on with her boyfriend, Gio, and occasionally even asks questions about what’s going on in the world, though I suspect she does that just to humor me.

Starting high school is a big step for her. For now, she’s interested in a career in Early Childhood Education. I’m earnestly hoping she finds something in high school to channel that love for children in a direction where she’s more respected. She’s had some fantastic teachers over the years and that is the fuel behind her current desires, but I know how many of those teachers have had to leave the profession because they simply can’t afford to continue. I know how all of those teachers have had to fight for basic rights, constantly challenged by both administrators and state legislators who can’t get their heads out of their asses. I’m not thrilled to think of her going through those same challenges.

There’s a building at the school they refer to as “the Bunker.” It’s a former manufacturing building, as is the main building, built out to support the unique needs of engineering, from making and testing robots to all the various forms of woodworking. We walked into the Bunker yesterday and she immediately fell in love with all the different creative resources, the drills, saws, and sufficient space to place things out and work on their designs. She doesn’t yet realize how well her creative tendencies align with engineering skills. I’m hoping she discovers and embraces that potential.

After we finished at the school, we walked across the street to a tiny little taqueria for lunch. She ordered the chicken soup and devoured the homemade whole-wheat chips that came with it. Lunchtime chatter was all over the place, which is normal. After eating, I asked if she wanted to go home, which would have meant catching a bus or going to see Mom. She chose to go see Mom. Kat hadn’t been feeling well that morning, so we were both a little concerned.

As we started walking, I told her to start looking for College Ave. She immediately started making jokes. “How far is it to College? Oh, that’s years away.” She wasn’t particularly enjoying the walk, though, and was happy when Kat had a break in her schedule and came to pick us up. She told her mom all about the Bunker and some of the ideas it fueled. She went on about the soup, which she declared to be the best ever. She also put out her hand and made me pinky promise that we’d both take naps when we got home.

That was an easy promise to keep. I didn’t wake up until after 5:00 and realized that I hadn’t thawed anything for dinner. I tried ordering raw food that I could cook, but it didn’t get here until almost 8:00. By that time, everyone had utilized leftovers and fixed something for themselves. Tipper went through the fridge, cleaned it up, and did the dishes. G made brief appearances but was largely consumed with the game he was playing.

All through the day, we see glimpses of the young woman Tipper is becoming. She has more potential than she realizes. Her compassion is overwhelming. Her critical thinking skills are developing quickly. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. I’m letting her go, watching her grow, but I’ll always be her Dad. There are plenty of big steps in her future. This won’t be the last time that I cry.

Then, we wake up this morning to see what happens when the entire fucking world depends on a monopoly. Microsoft services are down and the whole world has come to a grinding halt. Medical services are being delayed. Financial services are at risk. Some broadcasters are off the air completely. The world is discovering in the most painful way how reliant they are on one company and how dangerous that is. Not that people haven’t been trying to tell them that for years. There have been plenty of warnings along the way. Yet, here we are with so many services shut down around the world that it is dangerous in many places for one to even leave the house. As of 7:15 AM EDT, cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says that they’ve found the problem, a single update to the Windows system and that a fix is being deployed. The cost in terms of loss is going to be in the billions of dollars.

Will anyone learn their lesson from this? Not likely. While Apple and Linux were not affected, converting to those systems is expensive and could conceivably take years as many Windows 365 apps and services are not duplicated on any other platform. What this outage proves is how vulnerable the world’s digital systems are. This wasn’t a cyberattack. This was simply a global software update. ONE SMALL PIECE OF CODE brought the entire world to a standstill. Moreover, this is in a realm that legislation and regulation, even in countries where that control is severe, cannot adequately cover. These changes have to be done on a corporate level, involve billions of dollars in revenue, and could have trickle-down consequences not yet imagined.

What a way to start the day, huh? And if you live in Australia, the entire day has been a mess by now. This is the topic everyone will be talking about today. If only that talk would result in immediate action that matters. It won’t. That’s not the way today’s world works.

I’m not sure anything else matters at the moment. RNC speech? What RNC speech? Election? What election? When you can’t make a purchase, your plane can’t leave, or the traffic lights are all stuck on red, all the political bullshit ceases to matter. We see how little control the government actually has over the real world. We see how inept corporations are at cooperating. We realize how dependent our lives are on things that we do not and cannot control.

In a rational world, an event like this forces severe change.

We don’t live in a rational world.

Without even looking, I know there are people making the excuse, “I guess God didn’t want [insert random event] to happen today.” Bullshit. God doesn’t care if you miss your flight or if your credit card gets declined. God is not a micromanager. This is the fault of an inadequately tested line of code and years of monopoly-driven bad decisions. God isn’t going to fix that. Politics aren’t going to fix that. Reason and critical thinking skills, which are globally in short supply, are the only solution.

So yeah, we’re doomed. This will happen again and next time it probably won’t be an accident. The weakness has been exposed and corporations can’t move quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

Good thing it’s Friday, isn’t it?

12 3

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Thursday, February 20, 2025

Disaster Status

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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Fatal Flaws & Bad Religion

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Friday, February 7, 2025

More Bark, Toothless Bites.

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Thursday, January 30, 2025

Watch Out For That Rabbit Hole!

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What Am I Supposed To Do Without You?

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Could Be Worse.

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Disaster Status

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Save The Date

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Fatal Flaws & Bad Religion

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Off With Their Heads!

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You’re Going To Feel A Little Pinch

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Being About The Land.

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Some Things Are Satire

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Protect Yourself

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Friend or Foe?

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Calculating The Risks.

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You Can Die If You Want To.

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The Senselessness Of Existing

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