My letter on newspaper delivery

I emailed the following letter tonight to the manager of Absolute Distribution, Inc., the company that delivers the New York Times:

Dear Mr. Mooney,

My knowledge of the newspaper business comes from reading newspapers, studying them, and contributing to them.  For years I have been buying three dailies:  the New York Times, the Allentown Morning Call, and the Lehighton Times News.  Most newspaper readers I know expect to read their paper daily.  

I now learn with great disappointment that Absolute Distribution, Inc., will cease delivery of papers on Mondays.  I know that daily papers have fallen on hard times.  I know that fewer and fewer people read them.  I also know that hedge fund operators and holding companies have been deliberately firing reporters and distributors in order to hollow out and then liquidate newspapers around the country.  I also know that one of the reasons American democratic values have fallen on hard times is because of the decline of newspapers and the rise of irresponsible social media.

It is plain to me that one way to hurry along the demise of newspapers is to make delivery sporadic or non-existent.  I urge you to go back to a seven-day a week schedule.  I also urge you to question the employee who delivers papers to Sunny’s Express Mart in Kresgeville.  He or she is definitely not doing the job.  This week, for example, out of the six days so far, the New York Times has been delivered one time, and this was a historic week.

I will be happy to discuss this matter further with you.  I believe we both have a common interest in a thriving newspaper business.

Sincerely,

Dr. Roy Christman

Running for President from jail

A number of commentators have noted that there is nothing to prevent Trump from running for President while in jail, and some even mention that it has been done before, but they don’t say the name of the candidate.

It was Eugene Debs, socialist candidate for the presidency, who ran a number of times.  The last time he ran (1920) he was in prison for advocating socialism and opposing U.S. entry into World War I.  That, of course, was his right as a citizen in a democratic country with a First Amendment guarantee of free speech, but it was during the First Red Scare when all kinds of illegal acts were done.

Debs, by the way, was pardoned by Warren Harding, the man who won the presidential election in 1920.  Harding, in case you forgot, was a Republican.  

Florence invitation

The museum in Florence that houses Michelangelo’s David has invited the parents and children from a Florida charter school to visit.  The mayor of Florence also invited that school’s principal, Hope Carrasquilla, to visit so he can honor her.  She was pressured to resign after she showed an image of David to a 6th grade art class.  

My friend Bill often forwards me memes, and there have been quite a few featuring the statue of David.  I did not realize until today that an actual person was fired because the statue was considered “controversial.”  

We are an embarrassment to the world, except maybe to the Taliban in Afghanistan.  

Two of Tennessee's representatives in Congress speak out

Sen. Marsha Blackburn issued a statement that “Chuck and I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School inn Nashville.”  She also said, “Please join us in prayer for those affected.”  According to <elections.bradyunited.org> Sen. Blackburn has received $1,306,130 in contributions from the N.R.A.

Then there is Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents the district where the Covenant School is located.  He and his family were “devastated” by the school shooting.  He and his family were also pictured on his Christmas card smiling and holding guns. 

Yiddish in Waco

I was watching some clips from Trump’s rally in Waco, Texas.  One guy in a MAGA hat, typical Trumpist-looking white guy with a Texas accent, was explaining why the N.Y. legal case against Trump would collapse.  He said, “They don’t have bupkis.”

Isn’t America wonderful? 

The Great Salt Lake

After leading the Mormon trek across the country Brigham Young caught sight of the Great Salt Lake stretched out in the valley in front of him.  He told his flock, ”This is the place.”

Now the Great Salt Lake is drying up.  It is approximately half of its normal size.  The first time I saw it at some spots it was on both sides of I-80.  Now it is in the far distance.  The ecosystems are changing.  Birds are dying by the thousands.  Great clouds of toxic dust blown by the wind sweep across the valley.  And it is getting worse.  

In the meantimes there are still people, some in Congress, who deny that climate change is even happening.  I don’t understand it.

Dirt Creek

Yesterday I borrowed Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor from the Palmerton Library.  It’s a mystery set in Australia; a detective solves the case of a missing girl, later found dead.  (I’m not giving anything away, since you learn this in the first chapter with most of the book told in flashback.)  The book is a page turner–I finished it tonight.

I recommend it, but you might not be able to get it in Florida.  The detective is a lesbian.

"Right to work for less" law repealed

When you have a Democratic governor and a Democratically-controlled legislature you can do all sorts of good things.  Michigan just ended its law that says that unions can’t bargain to have workers join the union or at least pay union dues.  That means that when the union negotiates, non-union members still get the benefits the union worked for, but without paying union dues.  That, in turn, means that “free riders” desert the union and the union falls apart, which is the purpose of “right to work laws.”  

Way to go Michigan.  

"One Nation, Under God"

Imagine you are a Christian or a Jew.  Maybe you are.  You are saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and then you come to the words, “one nation, under Buddha” or “one nation, under Allah.” 

Imagine how I feel when I say the Pledge of Allegiance.  I’ve been an atheist since I was a teenager.  I know that some being named God or Jehovah or whatever didn’t create the world in seven days, not even in seven metaphorical days.  I know people don’t rise up from the dead.  I know that when you die, your atoms may live on, but they will live on as atoms, not as some spiritual being in a mythical place called heaven or hell.  I know that the same way that Muslims, Christians, and Jews know there is a higher being, although I have science, reason, and logic on my side rather than blind faith.

So, how am I supposed to say the Pledge?  A Pledge never once uttered by Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, or Lincoln.  A Pledge promoted in part to sell flags.  A Pledge that has become meaningless through rote repetition.  

I am a patriotic American.  I know the names of my members of Congress, my state legislators, and my local officials.  I have read and studied the Constitution.  I have never cheated on my taxes.  I read newspapers, I engage in civil discourse, I vote, and I know something about the issues on which I am voting.  

While other people say the Pledge of Allegiance, I do the same thing I do at Sikh services, Muslim services, Jewish services, and Christian services.  I stand respectfully and silently. 

That is my right as an American citizen and an American patriot.  I think it is my duty.

Trump calls for demonstrations

This will fizzle.  First, no set time, unlike Jan. 6 when the electoral college votes had to be certified.  The indictments, if they happen, may come at any time.  No way to predict.

Second, no location.  On Jan. 6 the location was obvious.  Washington, D.C., then attack the Capitol.  Where do you go for this?  Courthouse?  Police station?  Sing Sing?

Third, different subject.  Claiming an election was stolen feels more meaningful than protesting an arrest for paying off a porn star or stealing documents or threatening Georgia election officials.

Fourth, too many other things are happening.  China and Russia making kissy-kissy, DeSantis in the wings, March Madness.

I could be wrong, of course.  My friend Nate relayed that a demonstration was supposed to occur today at the Lansford swimming pool at 4 p.m.  At least I think it was supposed to be for Trump.  It might have been the Marjory Taylor Green fan club.

China messes up

Suppose instead of moving Chinese into Tibet, destroying Tibetan culture, repressing the Tibetans, and forcing the Dalai Lama to flee, China had simply been a good neighbor.  Suppose when China took over Hong Kong it had permitted the population to enjoy the freedoms the people already knew.  Suppose when Covid hit, China had publicized the outbreak and allowed scientists to study the source.  Suppose instead of sucking up to Putin, China had criticized the invasion and sent some aid to Ukraine.  

Had China done those things, do you think the people of Taiwan would be so adamantly opposed to unification?  Of course not.  Unfortunately China is a dictatorial bully that shows no signs of changing.  If anything it is getting worse.  

Yes, we are in a new Cold War with China.  The U.S. has been given no choice.

Spend your money wisely

China, angry that Australia is buying submarines, just slapped a heavy tariff on Australian wines.  Now the Australian wine growers are hurting.  When you go into your local wine store, buy some Australian wine.  Yellowtail is inexpensive and very good.  Look for the kangaroo on the bottle.  There are many other Australian wineries you can choose from.

When you send a package, and you have a choice between UPS and FedEx, go with UPS.  Their workers are unionized.  FedEx employees are not.

When you go on vacation and have a choice between Georgia and Florida, visit Georgia.  It isn’t exactly paradise, but it doesn’t have a crazy governor, just a conservative one.  

Use your money like a club.  You don’t have to make a big deal about it, but it will make you feel better and might even have an impact. 

Why was Rosa Parks arrested?

First version: 
Rosa Parks showed courage.  One day, she rode the bus.  She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin.  She did not.  She did what she believed was right.

Second version, approved by Florida:

Rosa Parks showed courage.  One day, she rode the bus.  She was told to move to a different seat.  She did not.  She did what she believed was right.

I am not kidding.  No stinkin’ Critical Race Theory in the Sunshine State.

Patricia Schroeder, 1940-2023

In 1972 Colorado elected Patricia Schroeder to the House of Representatives.  I was so happy.  She was anti-Vietnam war and a liberal.  When asked how she as a mother of two young children could serve in the House, she replied, “I have a brain and a uterus and I use both.”  She and Ron Dellums, a liberal member of Congress from Oakland (yes, I campaigned for him) were both made members of the Armed Services Committee.  Prior to that the Committee was noted for its conservative positions.  They were a breeze of fresh air.

She wrote a book about her experiences entitled “24 Years of House Work...and the Place is Still a Mess.”  Incidentally, when she ran the first time in 1972 the FBI had placed her under surveillance

After she left Congress she became the President of the Association of American Publishers.  In that position she opposed Googles’s effort to digitize books, saying that Google was trying to freeload on the talent of authors.  She won a settlement in which Google was forced to compensate writers.

She remained active in progressive social causes until her death.  What a wonderful woman.

Some information for this was taken from the obit written by Katharine Q. Seelye that appeared in the New York Times.  The hero-worship is all mine. 

Knowing more than DeSantis

When I don’t know much about something, I generally try to keep my mouth shut.  For example, I have no idea why the Silicon Valley Bank failed.  I don’t understand the whole interest rate/deposit/panic thing, I don’t know anything about banking regulations.  Not my area of expertise.

What I do know is that when you have an ally fighting for your interests against a country that means you harm, you don’t announce that the U.S. has no interest in that ally.  Especially when you are running for President.  

If DeSantis is the nominee and Biden is tottering along and you are Putin, why not keep fighting until DeSantis wins?f  Then you can finish off Ukraine and confront a weakened and isolated U.S.  This is a problem with nominating a guy who may know a great deal about DisneyWorld and Burmese pythons and elementary school books but obviously does not know a hill of beans about foreign policy. 

conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion...

A mother of two in Texas filed for divorce in Texas, then discovered she was pregnant.  She believed that the husband might use the pregnancy in an attempt to make her stay with him.

She texted two of her friends about her situation, one of whom told her about an organization in Austria that sends abortion pills to people in states where abortion is banned.  Both friends said she could stay with them while she took the pills.

Now the ex-husband has filed a wrongful death suit against the woman, her two friends, and a local woman who supplied the pills.  He wants a million dollars from each.  One of his attorneys is the former Texas solicitor general who helped to write the Texas bounty law that gives private citizens the right to sue others for “conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion.”

Text messages and phone records are part of the suit.  One piece of evidence is a photograph of the women dressed up like characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale” from last year’s Halloween.

I’m not going to rant and rave about the Texas law.  What I will say is don’t put anything on social media about your own desire to get an abortion.  Don’t text.  Use burner phones.  Use first class mail.  Get help in states where abortion is legal.  Learn the procedures you need to know.  (I know people who have quietly taken classes in how to induce abortions; it’s doable.)  

Pro-abortion groups should run ads in states like Texas giving women contact numbers for pills or help.  Maybe they already are; I’ll have to look into that.  I’d donate to that cause.

Jesus is rounding third!

Jesus Alou, 80, died earlier this week  He was one of the early Dominicans to play for a major league baseball team.  He and his brothers Matty and Felipe were all in the Giants’ outfield on September 15, 1963, the only time three brothers played for the same team at the same time.

When Jesus Alou began his career, a number of sports announcers were flummoxed by his name.  Latino ball players were a rarity in the early 60’s, and the announcers did not know the Spanish pronunciation of Jesus.  Could they really say “Jesus strikes out” on a radio or TV broadcast?  They quickly learned.

I once saw some funny graffiti in a toilet stall on the U.S. Berkeley campus.  Somebody had written, “Jesus saves.”  Below that someone else wrote, “But Felipe is the better hitter.”

Biden tacks right

In the last week Biden has moved to the right in two policy areas, obviously to undercut Republican charges that he is soft on crime and doesn’t care about the price of gas.  First he signed a bill to overturn Washington D.C.’s changes in the criminal code, a bill supported by almost all Republicans and not many Democrats.  Then he announced that we would explore for oil in the largest unbroken wilderness in Alaska.  

This is discouraging for two reasons:  first, that he is caving to the right on crime and climate change, but secondly, and even more discouraging, he is caving because a majority of Americans are fearful of crime and don’t give a damn about climate change. 

Save the Lake

Mauch Chunk Lake was built in the early 1970s.  It protected the area along Broadway from flooding and was a major factor in the rebirth of the town.  It also provided a drinking water supply for much of the town and a recreation area for residents.  The land surrounding the lake was part of the borough of Jim Thorpe, and restrictive zoning ensured that development would not take place.

Recently a developer with knowledge of the restrictive zoning bought over 50 acres at a low price.  He then asked the Jim Thorpe Borough Council to change to zoning to allow him to build homes with septic systems.  

It was the rezoning proposal that Save Carbon County, an environmental group founded by people who successfully fought the PennEast Pipeline, opposed.  The group attended Council meetings and on Thursday held a demonstration in front of the Courthouse Annex with about 25 people, including two Jim Thorpe Council members.  And last night the group showed up at the Council meeting with about 75 people in attendance, quietly holding signs that said “Save the Lake.”

The Council voted 6-0 to keep the restrictive zoning as it is currently.  No houses.  No septic tanks.  No polluting run-off.  It was a great victory.  I was proud to play a small roll in that victory.  And I was awed by Linda, who played a very large role, organizing, raising money, ordering signs, doing the research, getting press, lobbying council members, and we won.

Drag show dangers

The biggest danger taking your child to a drag show is that a Christian will show up with a gun.

    (Thanks to my friend Bill for that one.)

     Tomorrow I will tell you about a great victory for "Save Carbon County."

Save the Lake Demonstration in Jim Thorpe

Tomorrow about 15 of us will gather in Jim Thorpe with big signs that proclaim “Save the Lake.”  We’ll stand along Route 209 and wave to drivers.  A developer bought land along Mauch Chunk Lake that was zoned for preservation.  The purchase price was very low, since the land could not be developed.  Now the buyer is trying to get the Jim Thorpe Council to change the zoning to allow houses with septic systems at a thousand feet of the lake.

And the Council is considering it!

We’ve done this type of demonstration before.  Linda organizes them.  We’ve marched on behalf of the Indians at Standing Rock, on behalf of the Ukrainians, and against a fracking gas pipeline.  There were others.  If you wonder if they do any good, my answer would be probably more than sitting on your butt watching MSNBC.

Jan. 6 footage

Kevin McCarthy shipped thousands of hours of tapes of the insurrection to Fox News.  After reviewing the footage Tucker Carlson, aka Putin’s bitch, decided that the riot was peaceful and respectful.

Who are you going to believe–Tucker Carlson or your own lying eyes?

Squirrel trapper

We have two bird feeders and a suet station.  We get the usual visitors–cardinals, red-bellied woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos, downy and hairy woodpeckers, and tufted titmice.  Right now we are also getting flocks of red-winged blackbirds and grackles, and soon the goldfinches will show up.  

We also sometimes attract squirrels which jump on the feeders and are a real nuisance.  I trap them in a “have-a-heart” trap and transport them to a nice squirrel reserve along the Pohopoco Creek about four miles away.  I know some animals don’t take well to new surroundings, but I don’t think the squirrels will have a problem–lots of brush, a stream, no major highway, and not many homes.  

I caught and released one this morning.  He (I assume a he) was rather angry, but when I released him, he didn’t hang around to complain. 

Where did Covid originate?

This is one of those questions for which the answer doesn’t matter.  Evidently various U.S. agencies think Covid might have started in a Wuhan market that sells exotic animals, while other agencies think it might have started in a lab that was sloppy in its handling of pathogens.  Note the might, since no one has proof.

If it started in the market, bad on the merchants for selling exotic animals.  That should be illegal in any case.  Far too many are endangered.

If it started in the lab, bad on the lab workers for being sloppy.  

In either case, I can’t think how the world wide response would have been different.  Countries were flailing around not knowing exactly what to do.  That was true no matter where Covid started. 

The important question is:  Is the world ready for the next one?  Are cooperative procedures in place?  Are national and international health organizations prepared?  Will social media act responsibly?