This Morning

This morning ... 

I stayed in bed until 5:30 a.m.

I watched the sun climb above the mountain top.

I heard and saw a group of eight or nine sand hill cranes fly overhead.

I enjoyed walking my dog on roads devoid of vehicles and pedestrians.

I appreciated the sunshine and the lack of wind on a cold morning.

I did some writing.

I took my dog for a longer walk than usual.

I grabbed my camera and went in search of cranes to photograph. I didn't find any, but it was fun to look. 

After I got home, I ordered a new silver ring by a local Navajo silversmith for myself.

These are mundane, everyday activities. Many would consider them boring and literally, nothing to write about. But after the trauma and chaos of this week, I value these mundane activities more than usual. Being outside, in nature, on a clear, cloudless, windless early morning with my dog, is a special treat amidst the chaos of daily life.

As I spend my senior years at home during a pandemic without end, I treasure these simple pleasures more and more. No longer do I sit and wait for good things to appear. I must go in search of the good, the beautiful.

If I don't search for beauty, I'm not likely to find it. These mundane activities are how I take care of myself until life improves and I can once again travel.

It Isn't About Politics

It isn't their politics. It's their lack of morality.

A couple of friends have made this comment recently, and I think they are correct. People are free to believe what they will. They are free to support whichever political party best aligns with their beliefs. The world is a better place with a diversity of beliefs and opinions. We may learn something by learning about others' beliefs. But there is a limit to which beliefs I can and will accept. That limit has been reached.

I was raised in a Republican family. I moved away from those political beliefs in early adulthood. My beliefs are not necessarily better or worse than those held by others, but they are decidedly different. There was a time when those who supported different political parties could coexist. They could discuss their differing opinions and points of view. They would seek common ground and compromise. Those days are long gone.

I am generally a live-and-let-live person. But I draw the line at the unwavering, unquestioning, absolute fealty to the cult leader shown by too many members of the Republican party. As a student of Russian and Soviet history, I am well aware of the cult of personality, which is a hallmark of totalitarian and authoritarian countries. Nazi Germany had a cult of personality, as did Mussolini's Italy, Stalin's Soviet Union, and North Korea to this day. The United States has had its own cult of personality since the rise of the current president. He can do no wrong, in the eyes of his slavish followers. Anyone who disagrees with him faces dismissal and even threats.

What we have seen during the past 4+ years is the rise of a cult leader who has no concern for others, whose only goal is self-aggrandizement and endless amounts of praise. If he isn't sufficiently praised by others, he praises himself. His first (and thankfully, last) term is the best in American history, according to him. He alone is responsible for the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines. His inauguration was attended by the most people ever (it wasn't, by a long shot). He is the smartest and greatest president of all time. He knows more about the military than do any of the generals and admirals. He knows more about the economy than do the best economists. Such are his delusional beliefs.

This pompous arrogance leaves no room for compassion. Not once has this president expressed condolences to the families of the more than 365,000 Americans who have -- so far -- died of Covid-19. Not once has he addressed the police killings of several unarmed Black citizens. Not once did he honor the members of our military who died in the line of duty.

And his followers eat up all these lies. They don't question the veracity of his claims. They continue to insist that he has made America great again, but when asked to provide examples of what he has done, they are silent. They are totally lacking in critical thinking skills. They are totally unaware or they refuse to accept that he is using them, that he disdains them. He appeals to their racist and misogynistic beliefs, and because he shares and voices those beliefs, they feel free to be more open about their hateful attitudes. They are emboldened to physically threaten legislators, governors and public health officials whose policies don't agree with their.

To be fair, some Republicans have spoken out against the cult leader. These Republicans, such as Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, still hold to the party's old beliefs, when political differences were about policies and fiscal issues rather than about getting even or firing someone who disagrees or about bragging about oneself endlessly.

What happened on January 6 was an attempted act of sedition encouraged by Trump and his attorney Giuliani. It was as much an attempted coup as anything that has occurred in a number of Latin American countries. He watched the riots and looting on television in the White House, hosting what was essentially a watch party with his family and other sycophants as one of them danced as she watched the destruction. He reportedly enjoyed the chaos, pandemonium and destruction they unfolded. Given the chance, he most certainly would overthrow the government and install himself as dictator. He has already attempted to do this. He and his sycophants in Congress were willing to overthrow the will of the people.

  

What has happened in this country isn't simply expressions of differences of opinion about political issues. It isn't a difference of opinion about government spending or the scope and role of government. It isn't about foreign policy decisions or how to deal with rogue nations. 

 

It isn't really about the morality of these people. Rather, it is their utter and complete lack of morality that is the issue. 

 

I and millions of other Americans have nothing in common with these insurgents. We clearly don’t have shared values. One group believes in the rule of law. It believes in science and fact and equality and equal opportunity. The other believes in blindly following a cult leader that appeals to their insecurities, their racism and misogyny and their misguided hatred of "socialism," although they lack any real understanding of what socialism really is.

 

The perpetrators of this insurrection and attempted coup -- from the president and his attorneys on down -- must face the consequences of their efforts. Those who participated in the takeover of the Capitol building, as well as the destruction of government property, the theft of mail and other items, and the harm inflicted on police officers -- must pay the price for their acts of sedition.

Anything less is unacceptable.

Insurrection, Sedition Or Treason?

 Was it an insurrection, sedition or treason?

I am neither an attorney nor a constitutional scholar, but the violence incited yesterday by the outgoing president of the United States was one, two or all of the above. He has tried for the past two months to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He called the election a fraud. He attacked election officials who refused to bow to his demands to throw out millions of legal ballots. He tried to strong-arm, and he threatened, Georgia's secretary of state for refusing to miraculously "find" nearly 12,000 ballots that would give him a win in that state. His attorneys filed more than 60 lawsuits that were thrown out by judges at all levels, including the US Supreme Court. He incited violence that resulted in the first attack on the US Capitol since the British attacked it in 1814. And after he incited violence, he did nothing to stop it despite pleas even from members of his own party.

Whatever these unprecedented actions are deemed to be, there must be consequences both for this president and for the members of Congress who supported them. And those who attacked the Capitol, ransacked offices and stole the mail of, at least, the Speaker of the House, also must be held accountable.

This is not the time to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation. I admire Joe Biden's desire to bring the country together, to try and heal the deep wounds the outgoing president has created during the past 4 years. But we also must let the American terrorists and their supporters know that actions have consequences. Attacking the seat of the American legislative branch of government must not go unpunished. If there are no consequences, we will see more of this homegrown terrorism in the days, months and years ahead.

Dissent is fine. Peaceful protests are protected by the US Constitution. Riots and acts of terrorism are not fine. If the rioters had been Black or Muslim, the grounds of the Capitol would be littered with bodies. Overwhelming police and military force would have been brought against the rioters. We saw this as fact numerous times last year. But because the protesters were white, only a limited number of law enforcement officers was present at the start of the riot. Eventually -- hours later -- the National Guard and state police were brought in to remove the rioters. This was after the rioters had occupied both the House and Senate chambers. This was after they had ransacked Congressional office. This was after legislators had been hustled to secure locations by police and Secret Service officers.

What happened yesterday was not protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech and assembly. What happened yesterday was nothing less than an attack on American democracy, incited and encouraged by the president of the United States. That cannot and must not go without consequences.

A National Nightmare, a National Embarrassment

Today the world watched in horror as a group of radical right wing zealots, egged on and riled up by the outgoing president of the United States, carry out an act of insurrection.

Make no mistake. This was an act of insurrection against the government of the United States, specifically, the US Congress that was meeting to finalize the results of the presidential election. In normal times, under a normal president, this act is merely a formality. But this year, after the outgoing president's refusal to concede and after repeated claims that the election was fraudulent, some 10,000 rioters stormed the US Capitol. Despite the fact that Joe Biden received more than 7 million more votes than the outgoing president, and after courts at all levels, up to the Supreme Court, threw out more than 60 bogus, groundless lawsuits seeking to overturn the election, the outgoing president continued to whine that the election was stolen, that he had won in a "sacred landslide" (whatever that means). He continued to whip up his supporters and encouraged them to march on the capitol building as both houses of Congress were in session.

They quickly outnumbered and overwhelmed the sparse police presence, breaking windows, climbing on statues, breaking into and occupying congressional offices, even stealing the mail of the speaker of the House. Elected officials and their staffs were taken to safety. Finally, state police from Maryland and Virginia, along with DC police and National Guard units from as far away as New Jersey arrived to restore order. Why was the police presence so inadequate? Violent protests had been predicted for weeks.

Watching rioters (and these were not peaceful protesters) walk around as they carried Confederate and Nazi flags was disgusting. Although details are unknown at this point, a female protester inside the Capitol was shot in the abdomen by a law enforcement officer. She was transported to a hospital, where she died. 

Today's activity was an insurrection incited by a sitting president. I know there is reluctance to take legal action against any president, particularly one in office, but what he did was at the minimal inciting of violence. He and his administration have refused to participate in the usual transfer of power by making sure incoming officials are up to speed in their respective areas. Biden's camp was denied critical national security briefings for several weeks, and the Pentagon still refuses to brief incoming officials. 

And don't even start with the "what about" BLM or any other nonsense. What-aboutism doesn't work with me. Much of the violence and property damaged that occurred during BLM protests was created by extreme right wing zealots who came from other states to create havoc that would be blamed on the BLM. And let's think for a moment about why BLM was protesting -- they were protesting the continuing police killing of usually unarmed Black citizens. The rioters in DC today were trying to overthrow a duly elected government. So don't even dare to tell me I am "deluded" as one British resident did.

I am certain that the leaders of Russia, China, Iraq and North Korea are watching the chaos at the highest levels of the US government with glee. Already Russia carried out a massive hacking attack against several federal agencies and contractors. Who knows what other attacks have occurred or are planned?

Let's start by charging the outgoing president with inciting violence, with crimes against humanity for his apparently deliberate bungling of the response to the pandemic (a bungling that continues to this day with the chaos surrounding the distribution of vaccines to prevent the virus), and insurrection, as a minimum. The attorney general of the state of New York has close to 70 charges she plans to file once the outgoing president leaves office at noon on Jan. 20.

I worked for the federal government for 23 years, both for the National Security Agency and for NASA. I took an oath of office to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. I, and my fellow government employees, took that oath seriously. What I witnessed today was insurrection at a minimum, incited by the president of the United States. Investigation may well also turn up acts of treason. These actions must not go unpunished.

Some cabinet officials and members of Congress reportedly are meeting to discuss using the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove the outgoing president from office. He clearly is mentally unfit to occupy the most powerful position in the country, and the damage he can do as he continues to obsess about his election loss is too great to risk.

He cannot remain in office for another 2 weeks. He needs to be removed NOW.

 

About Winter

Longtime readers of this blog will undoubtedly know how I feel about winter.

I hate it. I detest it. I find nothing to like about it.

Here are the things I hate about winter:

• Cold daytime temperatures, and even colder mornings.
• Snow (Luckily, we don't get a lot of snow where I live, but even a small amount is too much.)
• Darkness.
• I am always cold, except when I'm in bed between flannel sheets and under a warm blanket and a weighted blanket.
• Drab, colorless environment.
• Exorbitant heating bills. (I heat with propane, which is an expensive way to heat a house).
• Slick roads
• The sound of the furnace running incessantly 
• Static electricity everywhere in the house
• Heavy, constricting clothes: coats, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves
• Glasses that steam up when I enter a warm/er building.
• The length of winter
• Frozen pipes
• Runny nose

So there you have it. I never liked winter, even as a child. I grew up in the Chicago area, and back then, winters were worse than they are now. I did go sledding sometimes, but I have never enjoyed outdoor winter activities. I tried ice skating and never got the hang of it. I went on a 3-day ski trip to Lake Tahoe. I spent more time falling onto the snow than on my skis. The only outdoor winter activity I enjoyed was snowshoeing at Yellowstone National Park. It was a fairly warm (for February in Yellowstone) day, and I had a good time. But other than that single experience, I prefer to stay inside on a cold day.

There at least a couple months of cold weather where I live, but at least we are slowly getting more daylight each day. Soon enough winter will be in the rear view mirror and I can start to look forward to warmer temperatures, longer days and lighter clothing.

 

The Blog in Retrospect

I did a lot of blogging in 2020.   One reason is that I was home most of the time and had more time to devote to writing. I didn't get to travel aside from one hiking trip to Georgia in February, before the pandemic took control of our lives. The other reason, sadly, is that the incompetent, corrupt and impeached president* and his gang of corrupt cohorts provided so much about which to write. Writing is my favorite way to express my thoughts and feelings, and there was a lot about which to write in 2020. I wrote a lot about political shenanigans and the threats to our nation from our own government. I wrote about the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and about the government's bumbling, some would say criminal, response to the pandemic. I wrote about the death of my dog and about the need to donate whatever we can to help feed those struggling to get enough food. And I wrote about the hope for a better four years ahead under a new administration. People from 34 countries visited the blog and read my thoughts and hopes and fears at least once during 2020. There were a few new countries added to the list, including Cambodia, Serbia and Turkmenistan.   To everyone who visited, from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the UAE, thank you for stopping by.   Your thoughts and comments are always welcome. And regardless of where we are from, let us work together to make 2021 a much better year.

America's Epidemics

This country is suffering through a pandemic.

Yes, we all know about the coronavirus pandemic. But I believe we are in the midst of another, more insidious, pandemic: the pandemic of hatred. I guess it isn't fair to call this a pandemic, as its focus is the United States. So let's just call it an epidemic. 

Here are just a few examples.

• There is an epidemic of anti-Semitism in the US, with headstones in Jewish cemeteries being defaced and synagogues attacked.
• There is an anti-science, anti-vaccination, anti-mask epidemic.
• There is an epidemic of bullying and threatening by people who disagree with others, including government and public health officials.
• There is an epidemic of selfishness and a pervasive 'it's all about me' attitude.
• There is an epidemic of false patriotism among conservatives and evangelicals. Walking around wrapped in a flag with an assault weapon strapped to your chest does make you a patriot.
• There is a continuing epidemic of public distrust of the democratic process and institutions. 
• There is an epidemic of belief in conspiracy theories, no matter how ludicrous and far-fetched.
• There is an epidemic of desperate legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 election, based on non-existent and unproven charges of massive voter fraud.
• There is a real potential for an epidemic of right-wing domestic terrorism.
• There is an epidemic of lies, exaggerations and incitement to violence by the far right.
• There is an epidemic of misogyny and racism.
• There is an epidemic of ignorance or stupidity among millions of Americans.

Sadly, there is no vaccine against this epidemic. There is no vaccine to increase intelligence, common sense, rational thinking and tolerance. The coronavirus vaccine should bring control of the pandemic fairly quickly. Resolving the issues of hatred, racism and the other aspects of the social epidemic we are facing won't be so easy.