Morning Update: 07/21/24

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.
Morning Update: 10/24/24
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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