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Memorial Service at St. Paul's Union Church

About 25 of us stood silently holding small American flags while the chaplain read a short prayer and a recording of the National Anthem was played.  Then a student representing Lehighton High School read a moving essay she had written about sacrifice and patriotism.  

Five veterans standing on the cemetery raised their rifles and fired a volley into the air.  This was followed by a man with a coronet who played “Taps.”  It was a ceremony that could have taken place 50 years ago.  It reminded me how America once was, and I hope may be again at some point in the future. 

This does not help Palestinians

It is often difficult for me to believe how stupid American adults can be.  Now we have a 31-year-old college graduate who shoots and kills two Israeli embassy workers, one of whom was from Kansas and neither of whom was making policy.  When caught, the shooter said, “I did it for Palestine.  I did it for Gaza.”

No, you didn’t.  

Your actions will bring harm to the Palestinian cause and the children of Gaza.  How can you be that old and that educated and think that what you did was anything but cruel, evil, and totally counterproductive to the cause you claim to support?  

 

Incentivizing rich people and poor people

According to Republican theorists, rich people and poor people have completely different reactions to incentives.  

If you want rich people to work harder, you give them money.  It might take the form of tax cuts, or grants, or military contracts.  When you do give them money, they work really hard.

On the other hand, if you want poor people to work harder, you take money away.  You take away SNAP benefits, or Medicaid, or veterans’ benefits, or raise their taxes.  When they are hungry or homeless, they work really hard.

It is quite interesting.

Trump administration defends lying on the internet

The Trump administration has cancelled hundreds of grants to researchers studying lies, conspiracy theories, and misinformation on the internet.  The administration says it is protecting “free speech.”  This is the same administration that punishes students for speaking out for Palestine and goes after news reporters who criticize Trump.

Look at the people around Trump–the whole administration is chocked full of people who are divorced from reality and live in a fantasy world of lies abetted by Fox News, Facebook, X, conspiracy podcasters, vaccine deniers, Q-Anon goofballs, and no-neck mouth breathers.  

Some info for this post is from Steven Lee Myers, “Trump Administration Cancels Grants to Study Online Misinformation,” New York Times, (May 22, 2025). p. B6.

A target-rich environment

We live in a target-rich environment.  I have too many opinions on too many topics..  Tonight, for example, I considered writing about:

the plane–you know which one.

Sen. Zinke’s “red line” on selling federal lands.

the cuts in research funds on global warming.

Trump’s changing policy on Ukraine.

Project 2025’s decision to go after Palestinian supporters.

the tech bros’ idiotic plans to put a million people on Mars.

the lies Trump told about white South African mistreatment.

Israel’s allies publicly opposing Israeli policies against Gaza.

There’s more.  So much more.

Remember the old Chinese curse:  “May you live in interesting times.”  I sincerely wish these times were less interesting.

Voting for Nature

With the EPA now under the direction of a shill for the petroleum industry and a President who actually despises the natural world, we may need to turn to state and local governments to protect nature.  This may not be as difficult as you think.  

The latest issue of the Nature Conservancy magazine had a list of 12 local or state ballot measures that passed in 2024.  They included Story County, Iowa, where residents approved a $25 million bond issue to improve hiking and biking trails; a statewide approval in Louisiana directing royalties from offshore wind and solar energy to protect the state’s barrier islands and create marshlands; and a Jasper County, South Carolina, vote approving a $94 million tax for land conservation and water protection.

As one of Nature Conservancy political campaign staffers said, “When you frame the issue around voters’ core values–clean air, clear water, quality of life and protection for future generations–they overwhelmingly vote in support.” 

Bill Gates and Elon Musk

Today I was reading about Bill Gates and his foundation.  The Gates Foundation has spent billions and has saved thousands, probably millions, of lives.  Gates is not just giving money; he has been involved in the decision-making and kept on top of how and where the money was spent. 

Elon Musk, on the other hand, has recommended the end of most American foreign aid, and the U.S. has already cut food aid to most countries.  Elon Musk thinks there aren’t enough white people and evidently is doing his best to kill of thousands, perhaps millions, of non-white children.  He may deny that, but that is the result of his DOGE policies, and I am sure he is aware of that

Yard sales as fundraisers

Today we held a large yard sale to raise money for the Democratic Information Center, the name we have given to an office used by the County Democratic Party, a drum circle, an environmental group, and other loosely affiliated groups.  We did not announce the purpose of the yard sale, since we wanted people of all political beliefs and tendencies to buy our goods.

Yard sales are not the best way to fund raise.  We had to postpone the sale by one day because of the bad weather on Friday, our original day to set up.  We spent the day Saturday setting up tables and putting out our wares.  Then it briefly rained on Saturday night, necessitating a panicked covering of the goods, some of which were rained on.

Today went fairly well.  We did sell a pile of stuff, but we had two truckloads left over.  I had made a sign next to the cash box that read:

Notice to our customers:  We are not experts on pricing items.  If you believe an item is priced below what you should pay, you are welcome to add the amount you feel would be fair.  One customer did add two dollars to the price.

In all 14 people worked on this yard sale, setting up, pricing, selling, taking down.  We made less than two months rent.  We ignored the old rule of political fundraising.  If you want money, ask for it.

On the other hand, we did have a lot of fun.  OK, may not a lot, but as one volunteer said, it helped to build community.

Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?

When I heard that Pete Rose was to be made eligible for the Hall of Fame, I thought, next they will be allowing Shoeless Joe Jackson in.  The next words out of the announce’s mouth were that Jackson indeed would be allowed in.

I know that Jackson was underpaid and ill-used.  I know that he was tempted by crooks.  I also know that there were other members on that team that did not cheat, did not throw the Series.  Just like there were hundreds of players who played on teams with Rose who did not gamble and who followed the rules.

Our President, who evidently doesn’t have enough to do, also weighed in on Rose, favoring his re-instatement.  Of course he did.  Trump cheats at golf and on his taxes, he stiffs contractors, takes crypto bribes, is the recipient of an airplane from Qatar, has cheated on every wife he’s been married to.

When I was in elementary school, we sometimes chanted, “Cheaters never win.”  I wish that were true.  In America today they seem to do quite well. 

Kiss it goodbye

In an article in the January/February issue of Foreign Affairs, Jude Blanchette and Ryan Hass wrote:  

     Even with its many shortcomings and vulnerabilities, the United States continues to command a strategic depth that China fundamentally lacks: a unique combination of economic vitality, global military superiority, remarkable human capital, and a political system designed to promote the correction of errors.  The resilient and adaptable U.S. economy has the words’s deepest and most liquid capital markets and unparalleled influence over the global financial system.  The United States continues to attract global talent including many Chinese nationals now fleeing their country’s autocratic political environment.

Article in today’s Business section of the New York Times by Patricia Cohen:  

     As President Trump cuts billions of federal dollars from science institutes and universities, restricts what can be studied and pushes out immigrants, rival nations are hoping to pick up talent that has been cast aside or become disenchanted.

The article goes on to discuss cutbacks at American universities in research activities and details efforts in France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Britain, Canada, Portugal, Austria, and Australia to pick up the scientists and researchers who are deserting the U.S. because of the cutbacks and anti-intellectual climate.

This is the definition of a self-inflicted wound.

A warning from Justice Souter

Justice Souter retired from the Supreme Court in 2009.  He died last week.  He was a reasonable and thoughtful judge, but he said little after his retirement.  He did, however, reply to a question in New Hampshire in 2012.

He said he was concerned that the public was not very knowledgeable about how the government worked.  That ignorance could allow an authoritarian leader to gain power.  He said, “An ignorant people can never remain a free people.  Democracy cannot survive too much ignorance.”  

He added that “one person will come forward and say, ‘Give me total power, and I will solve this problem.’ ”

So what do you think?  Maybe the high schools should start teaching civics and citizenship again.  Or maybe that bus has already left the station.

See Adam Liptak, “A Warning From Justice Souther:  Too Much Ignorance Will Imperil Democracy,” New York Times, (May 13, 2025), p. A14.

The End of Kurdistan?

The 40 million Kurds have the misfortune of living in four different countries–Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.  After World War I, when Woodrow Wilson was pushing for self-determination for the world’s peoples the Kurds were promised a state of their own, but the powers that be never followed through.

The Kurdish Workers’ Party has been rebelling in Turkey for many years, and about 40,000 people have been killed in the fight.  The U.S. has called the Kurds’ organization in Turkey a terrorist organizational, although I prefer to think of them as freedom fighters.

In any case the Kurds have decided to end the fight, or at least their leader, who is in custody, has stated that.  They are hoping that the Turkish dictator (let’s call him what he is), will grant them more cultural rights and freedoms.  According to some analysts he may actually do that in order to convince the Turkish people that he has been successful in stopping the violence.

I have always thought the Kurds got a bad deal, including by the U.S. forces in Iraq, where we implied that the Kurds in that country would get a better deal from the Iraqi government.

Unfortunately if you are a minority group in an existing sovereign country (Indians in the U.S., many tribal groups in African countries, Basques in Spain, Sikhs in India) it is often difficult to gain any kind of real autonomy.  And, for some reason, I almost always identify with the minority group.

Some info for this post was taken from Erika Solomon and Ben Hubbard, “Kurdistan Workers’ Party Vows to End Its Four-Decade Insurgency Against Turkey,” New York Times, (May 13, 2025), p. A-9. 

Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye Jr., the man who invented the term “soft power,” died last week.  Nye thought the U.S. had global influence not because of its tanks and planes and missiles, but because of its ideals.  American music, American films, American ideas were influential around the world.  People wanted blue jeans, Big Macs, cool jazz, and democracy.

Dr. Nye said “Seduction is always more effective than coercion, and many of our values such as democracy, human rights and individual opportunity, are deeply seductive.  

Nye was dismayed at the way President Trump was destroying American soft power.  He pointed out that the Berlin Wall didn’t go down under a barrage of artillery.  “It went down under hammers and bulldozers wielded by people whose minds had been changed by the Voice of America and the BBC.”

It is amazing how we are blowing our reputation and our influence.  We are so stupid it is painful.

 

18,000 Children

Tonight I will publish a portion of an editorial from Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, as quoted in an article by Thomas Friedman in today’s New York Times:

     On Tuesday the Israel Air Force killed nine children, between the ages of 3 and 14.

.....The Israeli military said that the target was a “Hamas command and control center” and that “steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming uninvolved civilians.”...We can continue to ignore the numbers of Palestinians in the Strip who have been killed–more than 52,000, including around 18,000 children; to question the credibility of the figures, to use all the mechanisms of repression, denial, apathy, distancing, normalization and justification.  None of this will change the bitter fact: Israel killed them.  Our hands did this.  We must not avert our eyes.  We must wake up and cry out loudly:  Stop the war.

If you're white, you're all right

I believe the rest of that phrase was “If you’re black, stay back.”  The first group of 54 white Afrikaner refugees should be arriving any day now.  The usual screening process to be admitted sometimes takes years, 

but the white Afrikaners were admitted after only three months.  

Perhaps they can wave out of the plane window at the Haitians being deported.  Refugees from Gaza, from the Congo, from Myanmar do not get expedited status.  

Stephen Miller is in charge of the operation.

How will we know when we have lost our democracy?

That’s the title of an essay by Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way, and Daniel Ziblatt, three political scientists who study how democracies come to an end.

They point out that for over a decade after the authoritarian Hugo Chavez seized power in Venezuela, most Venezuelans still believed they lived in a democracy.  In Hungary, in India, in Turkey, and I would add Israel, most of the citizens think they are living in a democracy.  There are legislatures and political parties and elections, so how do you tell?

According to the three authors, there’s a simple test.  What is the cost of opposing the government?  In a true democracy, you don’t get punished for opposing the people in power.  Now ask yourself, if you oppose Trump or his appointees or his policies, will you be punished?

I don’t think we have reached an authoritarian state yet.  On June 14 millions of people will demonstrate against King Trump.  On the other hand, look at our universities.  Look at students who demonstrated for Palestine.  Look at law firms that represented liberal causes.  Look at Republican members of Congress.  There is a lot of fear right now.

Fight it.  Don’t succumb.  We are moving in the wrong direction, but we can still derail the authoritarian train.

Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV

 An American Pope!  And a graduate of Villanova!  One of my best friends is a Villanova graduate.  I must tell him that I while I always assumed Villanova grads were smart, I never realized they were infallible.

I like the fact that the new pope has experience in the field, with missionary work in Peru.  I’m also pleased he wasn’t a graduate of Notre Dame.  If he is anything like Francis, the Catholic Church is in good hands.

Atheist I may be, I must say to the Catholics–well done.  Good job.

The narcissist in the White House is probably irritated tonight because he was pushed off the front page by someone who is a moral person who puts the institution he governs ahead of his own personal interest.  

Apologies to Canada

I watched part of the meeting between the Canadian Prime Minister and the U.S. President.  The Canadian was reasonable and patient.  The American was a complete jerk.

His combination of stupidity and rudeness made me cringe.  How do you even achieve that level of boorishness and ignorance?  I’m sure the MAGA people think it’s cool, but what it is is both pathetic and counterproductive.  It is truly mind boggling that this asswipe is running (and ruining) our country.

Cinco de Mayo is when?

Soon after I moved to PA from CA, somebody here asked me, “When exactly is Cinco de Mayo?”  My first thought was “I gotta get out of here,” but I’ve learned to be patient.

And a reminder:  it is not Mexican Independence Day.  That’s Sept 16th.  

I will admit that I cannot speak Spanish, although I do know the meaning of “Trump is a pendejo."  

Why didn't Elon Musk go to Britain or China?

Elon Musk could have launched his Starlink program in some other country.  Why did he pick the U.S.?  Because our country has been the center for scientific research.  We had the best labs, the most scientists, the biggest research universities.  In many fields that is still the case, but more and more we will be using the past tense.  This once was the country to which students from other countries gravitated.  Many of then stayed to add to the the sum of human knowledge and invigorate the American economy.

A recent article in Foreign Affairs detailed how China has moved to the front in a number of fields, including, ominously, research on missiles.  And what are we doing about it?  Here are three headlines on the same page in the April 30 issue of the Times.  “Trump Expels Scientists Working on Climate Report for 2028,” “Lab Animals Euthanized as White House Slashes Research Funding,” and “E.P.A.’s Plan To Restrain Chemical Use Lacks Detail.”  Grants to universities have been cut drastically.  And if you were a foreign student hoping to study science, would you come to this country?

I don’t think Trump is a foreign agent or is deliberately trying to weaken the U.S.  I think he is just that stupid.  And Republicans in Congress are unwilling to stop this idiocy.

Self-Reliance and Johnny Cash

One thing the Trump Administration may do is teach us to rely more on one another.  The National Endowment for the Humanities cut funding for state humanities councils across the country.  Of the money cut, $17 million will be used to support the National Garden of American Heroes, the really tacky project that Trump plans to organize.  (He is picking the “heroes.”)

The Mellon Foundation had announced that it will provide $15 million in emergency funding to the state humanities councils.  The Foundation’s President, Elizabeth Alexander, said the grants would help to preserve humanities programs, particularly in rural states that don’t have much private philanthropy.  

The National Endowment provides money for museums, historical sites, cultural festivals, and community projects.

The National Garden of American Heroes will include statues to Johnny Cash and Whittaker Chambers.

The recent fire in Carbon County, Pennsylvania

Two weeks ago we had a fairly large fire in the area between Jim Thorpe and Packerton.  It should be noted, however, that large fires in Eastern Pennsylvania, are generally modest affairs.  The area burned was under a thousand acres, and, like most fires in this area, it burned the dry leaves along the ground, not jumping to the crowns of the trees.  When you look at the burned areas, it is difficult to spot their location.  Most of the trees are now leafing out.

In contrast the Los Angeles area fires this past January burned over 57,000 acres, according to the CA Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection.  The Palisades Fire lasted almost a month.  In one day on January 7 the fire around the Pacific Palisades jumped from ten acres to more than 1,200 acres.  And thousands of homes were burned to their foundations.

People often ask me if I miss California.  Of course I do.  What I don’t miss is worrying about a fire sweeping across our neighborhood in Fairfax, making sure there is always an exit road (we knew four), having a list on the refrigerator of items we should grab in the order of importance in case we only had a few minutes to get out.