Morning Fog

Central American Caravans And Anonymous Op-eds - Who Benefits?

One of my occasional interlocutors forwarded me something the other day about the Honduran "caravan" making its way toward the U.S., claiming that it seemed clearly "orchestrated."

I must say, I agree! This manifestation has a lot of the earmarks of a put-up job. Thousands gathering, supposedly in reaction to the terrible conditions in their own country, and deciding to march to the U.S., managing to keep themselves together, get themselves fed, and so forth. It just doesn't seem totally spontaneous. 

Of course, the next thought has to be, "orchestrated by whom?" The Trump fan's answer, apparently is "George Soros." That's purely ridiculous. What has Soros or any "liberal" to gain from creating a horde that would obviously fire up the xenophobe contingent? Of course, Donald Trump would like to interpret it that way, but no...

If we look at who might have the power/connections/resources to instigate such a movement in a small central American country, and more important, who benefits, there is only one answer. Well, two answers, really:  Vladimir Putin to instigate it, and Donald Trump - the guy who is in office now with Russian support - to benefit from it. Did Trump request it, or did Putin decide on his own? We may never know. But it's perfect:  It will clearly fan the fires of the anti-immigration right wing, help to further exacerbate divisions here in the U.S., and allow Trump to bluster and play the strong man as he motivates his political base.

While we're talking about "who benefits," by the way, let's go back to that now-famous op-ed piece in September, the anonymously written one in the New York Times by someone representing him (her?)self as a member of the White House inner circle, claiming that people inside the Administration are deliberately sabotaging Trump's work. That sort of interference should be taken very seriously. No matter what we think of Trump, it should (and does) appall us all. We've seen hints of such things in non-anonymous utterances, i.e. that some in DJT's inner circle don't take him seriously, consider him an idiot.  

But if we consider who might author such a piece, it makes little sense to believe it's some Democrat in Republican clothing. What benefit would a person conducting such sabotage gain from publicizing it, boasting that he's keeping Trump from doing his worst? So that Trump could put a stop to it?  Nope, sorry, we're Americans and we are (or used to be) good at smelling a rat. Who benefits? The biggest rat.  We already knew the White House was a shambles; but the op-ed enabled Trump to pretend to be the injured party.  So who was the author? Not the Russians this time, I doubt they would get the nuances of White House politics quite so perfectly.  Someone in the administration, possibly, or … someone very close to it.  My money is on Rudy Giuliani.

In both cases, we - and I think, much of the media - are being played.

 

 

Wine Or Guns? Which Is More Dangerous?

The most recent tragic school killing in Florida generated considerably more active response from the young people who were targeted, raising hope that some of the most egregiously self-destructive aspects of U.S. gun law might be moderated. 

They are learning how tough a battle they have chosen to engage in.

They were kept away from a planned meeting at the state capital in Tallahassee because of fears for their safety. (Well, I guess we already knew Florida, like many other states, can't protect its schoolkids from random shooting.) 

Those who met with the President, who only the day before had at least said he would have his administration look into" banning bump stocks, faced a wooden-faced NRA-manipulated Charlie McCarthy who revived tired and preposterous notions like incentives for teachers who learn to use guns. Don't teachers have enough to do? Do they also have to enlist as part of a military force to protect their own students? And if they do, don't they really become the National Guard, that selfsame "militia" that the Constitution defines as the reason for Article 2, and which the strict constructionist Supreme Court mysteriously wrote out of the picture years ago?

The enraged chieftain of the National Rifle Association has declared that anybody who doesn't agree with the NRA "hates individual liberty."  Yet he in effect decrees that we, the people, have no individual liberty to challenge his views.

Well, as predicted, not much has changed. As one commentator recently said, when it comes to firearms, we are a corrupt failed state. Yet. In the long run, things are bound to change, and stonewalling and insane rage against change is only likely to make change, when it comes, far more radical.  Mincing steps to require everyone who buys a gun to have a background clearance will no longer suffice.

Meanwhile, I have lately been working on a charity event involving a wine tasting. In Virginia, these things get a little bit complicated because a retailer who may bring a wine to a tasting, at an event outside his own shop, may NOT sell bottles of that wine at that location. He has to take orders for pickup at his shop a day or two later. If there is any justification for this (one is not immediately evident), it appears to be that the customer might drink his wine on the spot and could become dangerous to others. Think of it as a kind of waiting period. No such worries about guns, though! 

Sun Day

Last week much of the world passed an important milestone.  I was too busy to remark on it at the time, but it's far too important to be left unnoticed.

What is it?  The winter solstice, of course.  That time of the year when daylight hours, having dwindled since June, once again begin to stretch a bit longer each day, until next June of course, when the cycle repeats itself.  Already, after just a week, it's possible to notice that dark comes just a few minutes later now.

The pagans had it right:  They figured out that the frightening, possibly cataclysmic advance of darkness that they observed in late autumn was not the end of the world, but part of a recurrent cycle. Just to make sure, it seems, they turned the season into the festival of light that it remains even today. A couple of thousand years ago, some churchies parlayed the pagan rituals into a celebration of Jesus but it never quite stuck, somehow.  It's still the light that makes it seem right.

So, three cheers for the sun. As a child, I never thought much of winter, but in my early twenties, returning to school after Christmas break, staring out the window of my study room as the sun sank slowly (but tardily) in the west, I began to think of it as our season of optimism and hope, the epitome of the mood we need to nurture this year more than ever.

 

 

Step In The Right Direction On Drones

Not very long ago I noted that drones are one of several military technologies that seem to got out of control in irresponsible civilian hands (See "Burn, Baby, Burn.")

It's good to hear that the FAA is proposing a $1.9 million fine against the firm SkyPan, which stands accused of making numerous unauthorized drone flights over Chicago and New York.  SkyPan has made a business of offering drone photography to businesses.  It's not clear that in the end, the company will end up paying even a penny, but at least the FAA has acted, and put other offenders on notice.

Burn, Baby, Burn

Military rifles.  Assault weapons.  Lasers.  Drones. 

All represent military technology being made available to the public for no good reason, with little or no control and generally only toothless enforcement.  All come with a cost to the public in terms of lives lost (actual or in the case of newer technology, potential), or other costs ranging from lost productivity, nuisance, diverted law enforcement resources, and damage.   All have the potential to become dangerous toys for terrorists around the globe.

None has any business in the hands of an "average citizen," but all have nevertheless become popular playthings for the puerile (for no doubt most buyers are male) and often irresponsible jackasses. Granted they may be a minority, but if they're only 5%, they're numerous enough to be a problem.  But jackasses are easily bored, so let's welcome the newest member of the family:

Flamethrowers.   Check it out on the XMatter website. There are left and right-handed models, not to mention interchangeable wands so you can adapt the flame to "your particular application." 

The website doesn't suggest what "applications" there might be, but in my mind, I see this advertising message:

Yes, now YOU can make your friends' eyes light up (and the rest of them too) with your very own gas-propelled firestick.  Other "applications?"   Make short work of those annoying weeds in your back yard.  Light all the candles on grandma's birthday cake at once.  Barbecue a whole herd of cattle at once for your next big backyard party. 

What can be done?  The best solution that comes to mind is that ol' Uncle Sam just insist on owning the patents and designs for the lethal weaponry it pays for, write contracts that forbid the use of such technology in developing "retail" versions, and prosecute violators.  Unrealistic?  Sure, items will still get out, but it would help a bit.  Failing that, of course, requirements for licensing, training, and registration can help. 

Many owners of these items know their weapons, take precautions, and are responsible.  But for those who aren't, unfortunately it isn't usually the owners of these things who get hurt. I've often thought that mandatory stiffer sentences for criminal or felony acts involving the use of such weapons might also at least help get the offenders off the streets.

The problem of reasonable controls is perhaps a bit easier for another recently introduced consumer product, the three-wheeled motorcycle that's being marketed now, taking advantage of a loophole that defines automobiles as having four wheels.  One such (certainly not the only one) is called the Slingshot, described as a cross between a motorcycle and a Ferrari.  It's easy to see how this toy appeals to a segment of the population. It looks cool, it goes fast, it's fun, and isn't inherently lethal (though I will bet that insurance coverage is just a bit pricey). 

It also has few of the safety features of a standard automobile.  Maybe that's a good thing. If those who misuse it are more likely to eliminate themselves in an accident than anybody else, they can thus help reduce the potential danger to others.  For lack of anything better at the moment, we'll have to hope that this is true of flamethrowers too.   

 

Musings: Thanksgiving

I've always touted Thanksgiving as the ideal American holiday - not the property of any particular religious denomination or ethnic group, and not commercialized as so many other holidays are - so therefore, a quiet holiday welll suited to the American (and Canadian) condition, one that gives people a chance to relax, reconnect with friends and family, and free themselves from the daily grind.

The holiday is still safe from commercialization in the gift-giving sense, yet in recent years we've seen considerable erosion of its pristine status.  Thanksgiving used to be the one day besides Christmas when stores would actually be closed.  No longer, and now the sales begin even before turkey day.  

Merchants will tell us it's because that's what people want -- to go shopping on every  holiday.  I doubt the truth of that.  Would people want to shop so badly if they weren't being offered all the unbelievable discounts and special offers?  Of course not.  

No, it's not "people," but retailers, who drive the shopping cart.  The Friday after Thanksgiving is referred to as "Black Friday," not because it augurs another devastating stock market crash, but because people whose business is to sell us stuff say that it's only in this final season of the year that they get out of the red ink (losing money) on their ledgers, and into the "black," determining their profit status for the entire year.

All I can say in reaction to that old chestnut is that if it's really true (and I don't doubt it is), they have one hell of a shoddy business model.   Maybe something needs to be redefined here?

 

New Typography - Where Does It Stop?

It hasn't been so often lately that I have had the chance to read a book, but in the past couple of weeks I tried specifically to devote some time to reading beyond the newspaper. 

That's how I wound up tackling an 1100-pager last week.  But reading isn't as easy as it used to be.  I don't mean my vision, which still seems fine.   The difficulty is that publishers/printers/writers don't use a double space after a full stop anymore. 

I have found this mildly annoying before, something I've noticed but put up with, yet I now realize that it will become very enervating over the longer haul of 1100 pages:

For a while I thought the single-spaced sentence ending was just a conceit (or an ignorance) of Bill Gates, analogous to the way he seems to think you would want your address book organized alphabetically by first name (!).  But many sources remind us that double spacing was abandoned in books and magazines long before Microsoft, as early as the 1950s or 1960s.  Perhaps I attributed it to computerization because early word processers tended to "autocorrect" two spaces to just one.  At least they no longer do that!  In any case, the standard explanation for the change, provided by authorities as disparate as Slate and Wikipedia, is that due to scalable type, the double spacing is "no longer necessary." 

Well, maybe not to publishers.  But for readers (for me, anyway), my latest experience with this current book is that spacing is essential to comfortable reading and quick cognition.  A period is a small thing, not easily noticed.  In smaller fonts, it's likely to be indistinguishable from a comma, and the upper-case letter beginning the next sentence also may be less noticeable, or mistaken for a proper noun.  The double space is (or was) the best and most noticeable signal of a full stop.

With the new typographic convention, I find myself constantly being fooled into reading run-on sentences Wait I think as I get halfway into the next sentence, "that doesn't make sense," or "how does that track?"  It's annoying, unnecessary, and delaying.

Publishers, authors, editors!  Let's show some respect for the reader, and reinstate the double space to its proper place in the pantheon of correct typography.  Word-processing programmers, how about at least a means of changing defaults, so that the double space could be automatically inserted?  Or maybe we should go back to the practice used in those old-fashioned telegrams, where the period didn't exist and we used the word "stop" instead STOP

Columbus Day? No Way

A few years ago I scribbled out some observations about the holidays we observe in the U.S., pointing out that some just seem rather beside the point today, and suggesting some reforms to bring our vacation schedule up to date.  Progress toward adopting these changes has been, umm... slow. 

But now that I observe a groundswell of opinion in favor (i.e., a fellow named John Oliver has questioned whether it makes any sense to celebrate "Columbus Day" - a question I ask myself every year), I think it's time to republish them so that more people can get on the bandwagon.

A (Not-So-) Modest Proposal Regarding Holidays, Part II

(Originally posted: February 18, 2009)

On Monday, I delved into some reasons we might want to move the Monday holidays back to their specific dates.  (A (Not-So-) Modest Proposal Regarding Holidays, Part I.  Now, I'd like to add some other thoughts about modernizing our calendar, bringing it into closer harmony with the shifting characteristics of our nation.

On this blog, I have said often that in politics we need to work to rediscover common ground among various parties and factions.  I think that's also true in society generally. As the United States becomes more multicultural and more pluralistic, we need to move beyond holidays that mark observances of only one religion, or one group of citizens (like the suggestion that Patriot Day be a full-fledged holiday).  

In brief, I suggest that MLK Day, Easter, Columbus Day, and Christmas all need serious rethinking -- and renaming.  Some may see that as radical (sorry, I ought to have warned you to get the smelling salts out ahead of time).  But shouldn't our federal holidays be defined in a way that all of us can identify with?  If you are among those who value the religious or Italian-American aspects of these days, ask yourself if you would also support federal holidays for Eid-al-Fitr, Kwanzaa, Passover, Cinco de Mayo, Greek Day, and a host of others, for which federal status might legitimately be claimed, and which would create an interesting but unworkable crazy-quilt of holidays.

Thanksgiving is the quintessential "American" holiday.  Its focus is family and friends, it can be celebrated by all of us regardless of religion, ethnicity, or other factors, AND it is blessedly free of the commercialization that accompanies many of our other holidays.  We need more days like it.

Let's look at Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It might seem that this is a day for African-Americans.  Some states and regions interpret it that way.  But I see it differently.  The more reading I do on U.S. history, the clearer it becomes that the issue of slavery -- along with its legacy of emancipation, civil rights, separate-but-equal, affirmative action, discrimination, and continuing racism -- has affected our society throughout our history and continues as a political factor today, even after the election of our first African-American President.  Issues of equality continue to come to the fore for other groups like Latinos, or gays, as well.  We should continue to observe the day, but we should rename it ("Equality Day"?). Despite its cold January proximity to New Year's, let's keep it on the same date because the identification with MLK gives it significance (besides, it's my birthday too!) 

Easter is not a federal holiday, but we often refer to the school breaks or other events at this time of year as "Easter," which has meaning only for Christians; I prefer "spring" break for this, because even those who may not consider it religiously significant nearly all conceive of it as a time to celebrate the arrival of spring, to dye eggs and give the kids easter baskets.  It's analogous to Halloween in that respect.   If anyone ever feels we need a new holiday, this is the time of year we could use one (we have none in March or April). The spring season is already identified with environmental efforts in the U.S. and internationally, so we might consider making Earth Day (April 22 - it is an already-existing observation originally proposed by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson), an official federal holiday.    

Columbus Day needs work too.  For starters, Columbus didn't "discover" the Americas. For most Americans, it's just a meaningless day off.  For many Italian-Americans, it's a day to honor their cultural tradition.  But that suggests it should be more like St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, or Kwanzaa -- celebrated by those to whom it is truly meaningful, ignored by the rest of us.  Better yet, why not celebrate our ethnic pluralism, from Native Americans on, with an Ethnicity Day, or a Cultural Heritage Day, at this time of year? 

And last, Christmas.  Although it's a Christian holiday, it is commonly observed in various ways by people of many faiths and persuasions.  I have known Hindus and Muslims in this country who put up a tree and exchange gifts as a secular tradition of the season.  To non-Christians and even many Christians, it has become more about gift-giving than anything else, and of course for retailers, it's lifeblood.  The date is arbitrary -- we celebrate Christ's birth at this time of year because it roughly coincided with pagan rites accompanying the winter solstice.  My suggestion:  December 22, Solstice Day, a time of rejoicing, a festival of cheer and light that chases away winter doldrums; a time, too, of gift-giving and of the all-important end-of-year extravanganza of buying that drives our economy. Maybe the change would also help move some of the commercialism away from the "real" Christmas on December 25.

So, that's my whole package.  Religious holidays, and regular events like Valentine's Day and Halloween, would still be observed by those who wanted to, who would decide whether to take a day off work or not.  I omitted Inauguration Day (January 20), the one federal holiday that is not widely observed except around Washington DC, and which comes only once in four years.   I also considered whether we need a new word besides "holiday," since so few of our special days are "holy."  But we all use the word generically now for any day off, and besides, I couldn't think of a better one.  Keep reading below for a calendar that summarizes all this.

 

The Morning Fog Revised Calendar of U.S. Federal Holidays^(c) 

January 1 - New Year's Day

January 15 -  Equality Day (formerly Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

February 22 -  Constitution Day (formerly George Washington's Birthday, also popularly known as Presidents' Day)

April 22  - Earth Day  (optionally providing a new holiday in this part of the year where we have none; I've chosen the date of Earth Day, which is already an established occasion observed internationally; an equally good choice would be UN Earth Day, observed at the March equinox annually) 

May 30 - Memorial Day (or Remembrance Day)

July 4 - Independence Day

September, first Monday - Labor Day

October 12 -   Cultural Heritage Day (renaming Columbus Day but keeping the date; although Columbus wasn't the first European to reach North American shores, he was the precursor of pluralism, bringing European culture into contact with Native American).

November 11 - Veterans' Day

November, fourth Thursday - Thanksgiving

December 22 - Solstice Day

 

 

 

A Sad Memorial Day Present

It happened that I heard the news of Bowe Bergdahl's release from television, bit by bit as they like to release news on those shows. 

"What's that? A captive soldier released?  Oh, that sounds like a good thing, I wonder how he got away," I mused. 

But then came the bad news ... he didn't escape, he was rescued, at rather major risk and cost ... hmm.  Well, we've rescued other captives in fancy, designed-for-the-movies operations, so why not ...

Oops!  Well, not so much rescued, really, as traded him for five captive terrorists?  Wait, what about that thing we always say, no dealing with terrorists..?

Wait, more news .. this is the guy who "wandered away from his post?"  So being a captive in the first place was his own damn fault?  What could possibly justify going out of our way to rescue this guy?

Wow.  Well, at this point I guess it need not be said that from my perspective as an army brat and a veteran, I'm one of those who is outraged at this whole operation. It appears to break every rule in the book. 

Funny, the Obama administration's excuse that "we never leave Americans behind" rings hollow to me.  In part because we left a lot of Americans behind in Vietnam, as Memorial Day and Rolling Thunder recently reminded us.  And in part because this is a principle we seldom or never heard until we turned our military services from a conscript force into an "all-volunteer" "professional" force.  

Bergdahl's case reminds us what we have lost by doing that.  We might forgive a draftee for walking away from his duty, but we should not forgive a professional for doing so, any more than we should excuse a lawyer who colludes in miscarriage of justice, or a physician who purposely kills her patient.   Nowadays, we call our servicemembers warriors (a term we did not use in the conscript army) but Bergdahl's action gives them a bad rap by suggesting they (or he, at least) have more in common with retail clerks. 

So, OK, we don't know the full story of Bergdahl.  Let's find out.  The only justifiable reason for the risks and costs of bringing him home is to investigate and court martial him, which will help us to uncover the truth.  I expect to hear a DoD announcement on that very, very soon.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Government Shutdown - How Dumb!

Dumb?  You thought I was talking about Congress, didn't you?  Well, that would certainly be appropriate, but no, I think that particular cesspool of ignorance has been pretty well covered in many comments over the past couple of weeks.  

So, no, I'm referring to the reactions I'm seeing - ad infinitum - of "average Americans" ("we have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo) and of the media who "cover" them.

Today we saw people upset about the World War II Memorial being closed due to the shutdown.  The closure makes sense to me.  It might seem that there is no reason to "close" an open-air monument, although I think there's also a counterargument that National Parks personnel need to be there to protect the monument from vandalism, crowd damage, and for visitor security. 

After all, it wasn't so long ago that a deranged Chinese woman threw green paint all over several national monuments.  And ... look!  Right there on TV, it looks like someone defecated on the WW II memorial !!...oops, no, my bad, that turns out to be someone claiming to be a U.S. [I stress the U.S. though he apparently prefers to ignore it] Senator by the name of Cruz...

But let's look at the people.  Ripping up barricades and carrying them to dump in front of the White House.  Again, an argument for basic civics in schools.  Dump them in front of Congress, dummies!  I forgot though - Congress is farther away.  And look, there's none other than Sarah Palin, urging them on, and that Cruz thing.  We see why people might have been misled.  These two politicians epitomize the GOP mantra - "my way or the highway," and the people be damned.  Rotary International has a motto - "Service Above Self."  These two self-promoters (and several others) have it just backward, self above service.

Our media deserve plenty of blame too.  In covering this entire mess, they have generally gone for the low-hanging fruit.  The politics of it all is too difficult to explain, or too boring, so they focus instead on inanity.  People whining, for example, about museums being closed.  Or dead veterans' families being "denied" burial benefits (they weren't denied, they're just postponed).  And on, and on.  They forecast the impending effects of a debt default - on people's 401(K)s!  So is the government supposed to be responsible for maintaining the value of people's investments now?  I can't imagine either Democrats or Republicans endorsing that.  Investment by definition means risk.  So what about the real dangers of a default, the destruction of confidence in the dollar, economic downturn, and the like?  Again, maybe too complicated for today's "reporters" whose "beat" seems to be exclusively "human interest."

It's said people get the government they deserve.  Maybe the media too.