Finding a treatment for measles

I keep asking myself,”How did we get this dumb?”  We have a vaccine that prevents kids from getting measles.  It has been proven safe, but if you are an anti-vaxxer, you are already saying,” No it’s not.  It causes autism, and cancer, and probably Ebola.”

But there are enough stupid people out there who believe stuff like that, plus we have vaccine denier Robert Kennedy as the head of our Department of Health and Human Services, so we have the most measles cases in the U.S. since 1991.  Biotech companies, seeing a money-maker in the works, are now attempting to produce a medicine that will be helpful for children who catch measles because their parents didn’t have the sense to get their children vaccinated.  And there are enough of those parents to make such a medicine potentially very profitable.  

How did we get this dumb? 

By the way, how do we know that medicine won't cause autism?

Was this election rigged?

Flatland County has only two towns within its boundary.  Smallville has 400 voters, 100 of whom are Democrats and 300 whom are Republicans .  Bigville has 500 voters, 400 of whom are Democrats and 100 are Republicans.  Every voter votes a straight party ticket for his or her party.  The election this year is for county commissioner.

It’s election day. Smallville votes by machines and the votes are tabulated within one hour of the closing of the polls.  Results as of 10 p.m. on election day:

Dem county commissioner candidate–100 votes

Rep. county commissioner candidate–300 votes

Bigville voters vote by mail.  All the votes are mailed in a timely fashion and are received by election day.  The 500 ballots are then opened and counted.  The counting is complete at noon on the day following the election with these results:

Dem. county commissioner candidate–400 votes

Rep. county commissioner candidate–100 votes

The Democratic candidate now pulls ahead.  She has 500 total votes in Flatland County.  The Republican candidate has 400 votes.  

If this is like the mayoral election in Los Angeles or any election which involves Trump, Trump followers, MAGA candidates, or any other observer who lacks rudimentary knowledge of arithmetic, you will hear the cry “the election was rigged.”  They are that stupid. 

Trump Channels Neville Chamberlain

On September 27, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said of  Hitler’s designs on Czechoslovakia that it was “A quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing.”  That policy became known as appeasement.

On June 16, 2026, U.S. President  Donald Trump said of Putin’s designs on Ukraine, “Look, we have nothing to do with it.  It has no impact on us, other than we sell weapons.  We’re thousands of miles away.”  That policy is known as moral blindness.

The Trump quote is from Eric Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, “Trump Rebuffs Ukraine:  ‘Nothing to Do With It,’” New York Times, (17 June 2026), p. A-8.

Skunks and whippoorwills

About 8:30 this evening I set a “have a heart” trap to catch a squirrel that has been eating the sunflower seeds from our bird feeder.  I then walked to the garden to pull some weeds.  When I came back at 9 a skunk, almost pure white, was in the trap.  I got an old plastic table cloth, covered the trap and the skunk, and put him in the back of the truck.  Our daughter, visiting from California, and I then drove to the upper end of the Wild Creek Reservoir.  She stayed in the cab while I, speaking softly to the skunk, opened the tailgate and the door to the trap.  The plan was if the skunk sprayed me, I would ride in the back and Rachael would drive us home.  The skunk calmly walked out of the trap, hopped down, and ran into the woods.  No smell whatsoever.

And here was the best thing.  I don’t think I have heard a whippoorwill for 20 or 30 years.  Growing up I would hear them every night, but loss of habitat has reduced these shy birds to the point where they are now considered a threatened species, and soon may be endangered, if we still do that.  And there one was, calling and calling.  Rachael and I just sat there listening.  It is such a wonderful sound.

It was a good evening.

The Amish/Muslim connection

In Mohnton, PA, an Amish Halal Butcher caters to Muslims.  For a major Muslim holiday like Eid al-Adha, up to 500 Muslim families may visit the Amish farm to purchase halal meat.  The farm also caters to Hindus, primarily from Nepal, and some Africans and some Jews.  The farm employs two full-time Muslims, one from Syria and one from Ghana.  

Visitors from Philly and Harrisburg often picnic at the farm.  Ephraim Stoltzfus, the owner, has become quite knowledgeable about Muslim religious traditions.  

It makes me proud to be an American.

Info for this post is from Dan Sullivan, “Amish Halal Butchery Caters to Muslim Market,”  Lancaster Farming, (June 6, 2026), pp. A1, A7. 

Bread and circuses

We are imitating the last days of the Roman empire when the Roman citizens were given bread and circuses.  The circus was on Trump’s birthday when the “cage fighters” did an imitation of the gladiators in the arena.  I do not know if Trump, AKA Nero, gave thumbs up or down, or if anyone was actually put to the sword.  Probably not–we can’t do anything right.

My issue is this:  We have had the circus, but where the heck is the bread?  Or does that just go to the Emperor and his cronies? 

A letter to Pres. Trump on assigning blame

I've written to the President a number of times, although thus far he seems to have ignored my letters.  Nonetheless, I keep trying to help him out.  Here is the one that I'm mailing tomorrow:

President Donald J. Trump

The White House

Office of the President

1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump:

There is an old rule in politics that after an office holder is sworn in, he or she can blame his or her predecessor for problems and miscues for a period of six months.  After that, the new office holder owns the problems.

I notice that you have been blaming President Obama for some of the problems and issues faced by our country.  Since President Obama left office in January of 2017, his tenure is well past the “blame date.”  Under the six months rule, even President Biden would be past the time where he can be blamed for problems.  

Your advisors should have told you this.  In any case, it is something for you to keep in mind.

All the best,

Roy Christman