Reading time – 3:30; Viewing time – 4:43 . . . The last time I read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride (no, it isn’t entitled The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere) I was in high school. For reasons known only to the gods of random thoughts, the poem came to mind, so I looked… [read more]
Fantastical Fictional Universe
Reading time – 3:41 . . . President Trump is just like you and me – except he lies constantly and thinks everything is or should be about him. In his Q & A with reporters during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, October 21 he expressed many opinions about the Constitution, the economy, his abilities… [read more]
What I Wish He’d Said
Reading time – 2:04 . . . Chairman Adam Schiff Speaking to the House A/V technician while covering his microphone and pointing toward the Republican Members of Congress who are not members of the House Intelligence Committee but are in the room: Please turn off their microphones. To all: These proceedings have been invaded by… [read more]
An Exercise in Deadly Stupid
Reading time – 1:59 . . . It’s been the silence, the acquiescence of the Republicans in Congress that has been so dispiriting all along. In large measure, that has been about their tolerating Trump’s constant stream of lies, inanities and his boundless cruelties. The acquiescence that matters, though, has been over things like Trump’s… [read more]
Un-Acountability
Reading time – 2:14; Viewing time – 3:24 . . . From Greg Sargent of The Washington Post: “Trump is not merely staking out an absolute refusal to cooperate with any and all lawful subpoenas, on the deeply absurd grounds that the House’s impeachment inquiry is illegitimate, as the White House counsel has argued. “Rather,… [read more]
Against Their Own Interest – and Syria Stupidity
Reading time – 3:47 . . . A lot of barrels of ink have been emptied in an effort to explain why some American voters – largely rural people – consistently vote against their own interests. This predates Donald Trump, although he has been a beneficiary of it and has exploited it masterfully. My understanding… [read more]
Balance – Eventually
Reading time – 1:50; Viewing time – 2:31 . . . The plain-spoken admission of facts is usually refreshing. Yet what we’ve learned over the past few years is that clear speech sometimes falls galaxies away from refreshing. And sometimes there is no price that’s paid for being a very bad boy, even when there’s… [read more]
It Will Take More Than Impeachment
Reading time – 3:35 . . . I’m still conflicted about impeachment. On the one hand, there’s the obvious imperative to do the right thing. Trump is bad news in so many ways and many of them are almost certainly criminal. He should be held to account, and not just to punish him. It’s critical… [read more]
An Apology
Reading time – 3:56; Viewing time – 5:02 . . . I’ve been bashing Congressional Republicans for a long time because of their obvious spinelessness. They plainly see what Trump says and does, they know he’s hateful, abhorrent and likely criminal, but they say and do nothing to counter or prevent his felonious and hateful… [read more]
Brutal – By The Numbers
Reading time – 3:50; Viewing time – 4:55 . . . I’ve long believed that the hope for the world is our young people. Here are two reasons why I see things that way: We adults have made the terrible messes we’re in and we steadfastly refuse to do anything to make things better. Our… [read more]
