Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump

Every day I wake up thinking “it can’t get any worse,” and every day it gets worse.  

Now Trump is openly aiding Russia and calling on Zelenskyy to step down as the leader of Ukraine. 

Vergangenheitsbewältigung

The German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, who died in March of this year at age 96, said that Germans had to commit to the collective task of “working through the past,” which is what that title means.  (And yes, I can spell it, although I had to look up how to put in the umlaut.)

This is what we need to do, and what Trump and his followers dislike.  We need to keep working through the past–the way we treated and are treating our immigrants, the way we condoned slavery and racial discrimination, what we did and are doing to our Indians, and all the other blots on our nation’s history.  

One of the reasons we are allowing ICE to do the things those agents are doing (another person was shot in N.Y. two days ago) is because we don’t do our “working through the past.”   We have a shameful history of mistreatment of immigrants, although much of the earlier horrors was not supported by government agents.

Unacceptable religions

I know a guy who has come up with a test for religions he finds unacceptable. The test involves rules about clothing and appearance.  If the men and women are required to follow strict rules of dress that differ by gender, he rejects them.  He feels that morality and religiosity should have nothing to do with clothes or hair styles or veils or bonnets or underwear, and any religion that insists on those kinds of rules should be avoided.

A new question on the 1040 form

In the draft version the 1040 form will ask you to check a box either Yes or No to answer this question:  “At the time you file your return are you and your spouse if filing jointly, a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or an alien lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.?”

I’m going to have some fun with that if the I.R.S. actually includes it.  I can think of all kinds of answers:

If I answer no, does that mean I don’t need to pay the tax.

I am, but I’m not sure about my spouse.

All of the above.

None of the above.

You need to talk to my attorney.

Who wants to know?

I am, but I am not a pedophile like the President.

Not sure which one I’ll use.

 

Trump bribe

My Social Security check is deposited directly to the bank, so I didn’t realize that the $90 Trump bribe has evidently been deposited to my account.  It doesn’t seem like a very effective bribe if people don’t even know why their accounts suddenly grew.  

What to do with the money?  I will be donating mine to the Carbon County Democratic Party.  Or as Republicans are fond of saying, the Carbon County Democrat Party.  Either way it gets the money.

A friend is sending hers to the Talarico campaign.  I hope if any of you received this check, you will put it to a similar good use.  

They clapped and cheered

When Trump invited Iran to “take out” L.A. and San Diego at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, the audience clapped and cheered.  I have been to Nebraska numerous times.  I don’t think that represents the people of Nebraska.  I think that represents the kind of people Trump attracts to his rallies.  Cruel people.  Ugly people.

And I think we have been coarsened in the last 10 years by Trump.  From his comments on women, his friendship with Epstein, his lying about being at the 9/11 site and his celebrating that now his buildings were the tallest in New York...unfortunately people often take their cues from their leaders.

I would bet none of those people in that audience who are old enough to remember 9/11 cheered when that happened.  Just 12 years later I think at a Trump rally they might.

Hurricane breaches dam; returns Swannanoa River to natural state

My correspondent in North Carolina recently forwarded an article from the “Hickory Record.” newspaper.  In 2024 Hurricane Helene dumped so much rain in North Carolina that the Lake Craig Dam was breached.  This allowed fish to move upstream for the first time since the dam was built over 100 years ago.  

The city of Ashville has decided not to repair the dam.  The rest of the dam will be removed, eliminating a barrier to six fish species.  The wildlife commission didn’t need to reintroduce the fish–they swam upstream on their own.

As Shakespeare noted in his play Henry VI:  “Ill blows the wind that profits nobody.”  In this case the fish and the river profited.