Wednesday, January 01, 2025

Don’t look back, look forward. I know that’s not easy when every media source is doing ‘year in review’ stories all over the place, but 2024 is dead. I’m not sure it deserves a proper burial. Just toss it in a ditch and move on because the trouble it caused stays with us long after it’s gone.

We don’t need resolutions today, either. We need a re-commitment to ourselves and the people and things we love. I started this morning by cleaning around Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty’s bad eye. I played peek-a-boo with Hamilton for several minutes. Bit is nuzzling my hands as I type, purring loudly. I’m on my third cup of coffee, drinking it slowly, enjoying the taste. These are some of the things that matter.

Kat sent back pictures of the little cabin she’s staying in; it’s nicely appointed with a huge picture window looking out onto the woods. Perhaps she’ll see some wild turkeys or even a deer or two. She handles the cold better than most people, so she’s planning on doing a little hiking around the cabin, enjoying the time to herself, and the quiet.

G stayed up with me until midnight. I looked in on him at one point during the evening to find him studying schoolwork. He’s not happy with his GPA, or all the gunfire in our neighborhood. Tipper ignored both of us last night but was up early talking on the phone with a friend.

Perhaps our lives aren’t as exciting as others. We’re not jetting off to some exotic location, running marathons, or attending parties. I only left the yard once during the entire month of December. We take our meds, keep our heads down, and focus on staying alive. Considering all the options, that seems to be the best approach to the new year.

There are three news stories this morning that I find concerning. The first is the tragedy of a car driving into a group of revelers in New Orleans. At least ten are dead and 30 people injured. No one has any details yet, no idea of what motivated the attack. Around the world, driving vehicles into large groups of people has become an easy form of terrorism. There’s no good way to stop it from happening. Even staying inside holds no guarantees. This is the way 2025 is starting, not from an attack by a foreign agency, but from ourselves, our neighbors.

Hidden within the many folds of today’s New York Times is a careful story about the large cache of bombs the FBI has discovered at a Virginia farm. This is the largest collection of non-military explosives the agency has uncovered in its history. Most of the explosives were fashioned as pipe bombs, some marked ‘lethal’ and others with the hashtag #nolivesmatter. With the hashtag comes a threat from what has, until now, been a mentally deficient shadow group of far-right ideologies that  “historically encouraged members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse,” according to a threat assessment released in August by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Again, these are not foreign players. They call themselves patriots, forcing us to question the motives of anyone who claims that title for themselves. The person in custody even blew off three of his own fingers while making the bombs but was undeterred in his mission. You are right to be bothered. The FBI found one, but there are many others.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued his annual report and his words are alarming. The judiciary is under attack. Threats against federal courts and justices have tripled over the last decade. As more political cases are thrust into federal courts, more people, especially politicians, are dissatisfied with the results. “It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy,” he wrote. He’s also concerned about “elected officials” who blatantly disregard court rulings. No, he didn’t mention anyone by name, but everyone knows that was a warning to the incoming administration.

Put those three stories together and you have the makings for a very rough year. In one way or another, we are all targets. Yet, there’s little we can do besides going on about our lives as if nothing’s wrong. So, tell people you love them even if it’s awkward. Be kind where you can but don’t tolerate stupidity. Perhaps consider investing in some Kevlar.

Happy New Year.