Kristi Noem shoots a dog

The Governor of South Dakota evidently noted in her memoir that when she was younger she shot a dog that she and her family no longer wanted.  The meme universe is going nuts about this.

You should know that in some cultures in the United States, shooting a dog is not that big a deal.  Years ago my grandfather bought a dog he was told was a “Russian wolfhound.”  I don’t know if that is even a breed, but the dog was fast and big and chased a deer.  My grandfather thought that was not good, so he shot the dog.  I’ll bet there are many farmers in South Dakota who aren’t willing to pay a hefty fee to a vet to “put a dog to sleep.”  (That means kill the dog).

So give Kristi Noel some slack on the dog.  Go after her because she is basically a fascist who would outlaw abortion, deny a legitimate election, and sucks up to Donald Trump because she wants to be his Vice President.  Actually, if you want to go after her for the dog, go ahead.  

So called "originalists" are anything but

The question before the Court on presidential immunity can be answered quickly and clearly.  No. The President does not have immunity for criminal acts.  Period.  The Magna Carta proclaimed in 2015 that even the King is not above the law.  The Supreme Court justices should not have even heard this case.  A first year law student knows that.

Fifteen leading historians submitted an amicus brief showing that the Founding Fathers were well aware of the need to control the President.  The silliness about private vs. “official “ acts that some members of the Court brought up is nowhere to be found in the Constitution, in Madison’s notes, in the Federalist Papers, or in previous cases.  

James Iredell, an early justice on the Supreme Court, told the North Carolina ratification convention that if the President commits a crime, “he is punishable by the laws of his country and in capital cases may be deprived of his life.”

Now there is a Supreme Court Justice.  Let’s go back to the original.

I learned about the Iredell quotation and the 15 historians in Jamelle Bouie, “This Whole King Trump Thing Is Getting Awfully Literal,” New York Times, (28 Apr. 2024), p. SR3. 

Preparing for nuclear war

In the last few months two serious studies have been published on the possibility of nuclear war.  While there are all kinds of plans and contingencies, the “fog of war” will be far worse in a nuclear “exchange,” with communications disrupted, panic everywhere, and the end of civilization as we know it.  

Is nuclear war likely?  Nine governments now possess nukes, including North Korea (Kim Jong-un), Russia (Putin), Israel (Netanyahu), India (Modi), the U.S. (maybe Trump after January), and Pakistan  (I have no idea who the current ruler of Pakistan is right now.)

I don’t know how we have gone this long without a nuclear war, but I agree with Nikita Khrushchev who said that in the aftermath of nuclear war, the living would envy the dead.

The Quest for Community

Sociologist Robert A. Nisbet, usually labeled a conservative, believed that our emphasis on individual freedom ignored the human need for connections, for community.  His most famous book, first published in 1953, was entitled The Quest for Community.  I’m currently discarding many of my books.  When I pulled that one out of the shelf, I wondered if it was as good as I remembered it.  I’m re-reading it.  

In 1953, of course, the major fear was Communism.  World War II had ended eight years earlier, and Fascism was also on peoples’ minds.  Nisbet wrote about how the “communal state” was attempting to control people’s lives.  And above all other forms of political association it is the totalitarian Communist party that most successfully exploits the craving for moral certainty and communal membership.  In it we find states of mind and intensities of fanaticism heretofore known only in certain types of religious cult.

We don’t worry so much about Communism.  What I’d like you to do is where Nesbit wrote “Communist party,”  substitute “MAGA movement.”  

Look at the people at a Trump rally.  Look at the way they hang on to his words.  People who attend those rallies talk about how unified the people are, how happy, how connected.  I believe most of them are people who lacked ties, who felt alienated.  Now they have a purpose, and they have a community.  You can’t compete with that using logic and facts. 

How to demonstrate: Part II

This morning I saw film of an economics prof at Emory University in Georgia getting arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration.  She appeared to me to be fighting with the cop and was forcibly taken down and cuffed.

Not good.  Remember the police have cuffs, guns, probably some kind of chemical spray, and maybe even clubs.  Plus they are often rather large individuals, and you could easily get hurt.  What you do is go limp.  Just let yourself go limp.  Don’t fight.  Don’t argue.  You’ll probably still be hauled off, but you won’t be injured. 

I hope this has been helpful.

How to demonstrate

I feel like I have to teach the kids of today almost everything.  How to read a map.  How to address a letter.  How to get through an entire day without a phone.  And now, how to demonstrate.

Say you are doing a pro-Palestinian demonstration, and a kid in a yarmulke walks by.  You don’t curse him.  You don’t spit on him.  You don’t call for his destruction or the destruction of Jews.  He is not your problem.  He is an American, just like you are.  Your quarrel is not with him.

Here is another hint.  Wear a coat and tie to the demonstration.  Carry an American flag.  Cops hardly ever arrest a guy in a coat and tie, especially if the guy is carrying an American flag.  You can also carry a sign, but the sign should make sense.  “Peace now” is always good.  “No more weapons for Israel” is certainly acceptable.  Skip the stuff on “settler colonialism.”  Remember that is what the U.S. was founded on, so best not to call attention to that.  Plus, it is too late.  The two state solution, no matter what the fanatics on both sides say, is still the best bet.

If you need more training on this, let me know.

Over 16% of the vote

Nikki Haley is out of the race.  Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee.  And yet, in the Pennsylvania primary yesterday Haley got over 16% of the vote.  16 out of every 100 Republican voters pulled the lever for someone other than Trump, a pure protest vote.  In Carbon County Haley received 680 votes.  I have a feeling that most of those votes will be in the Biden column in November.

I think Trump is in trouble in Pennsylvania.  

Cannibalism in Papua New Guinea?

Twice last week President Biden mentioned that his uncle, whose plane went down in the South Pacific during World War II, was probably eaten by cannibals.  This has angered the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, who said the inhabitants of that country are not cannibals.  In any case the plane went down over water.

My wife is from Texas.  When we were first married she would “embellish” some tales, and I would break in, correct her, and explain what really happened.  I quickly learned that I had better not do that.  There is an expression in Texas that goes, “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

Biden has been doing this kind of thing all his life.  They are usually called gaffes.  They are also associated with Irish folklore, and Biden, after all, is Irish.  In any case, Biden’s uncle was not eaten by cannibals, but it did make for an interesting story.

Republicans close party ID gap

In Carbon County, PA, Republicans passed Democratic party registration about 2012 and now have about a 7,000 vote advantage.  Nationwide Republican Party identification has been growing as well.  In 2020 many more voters identified with the Democratic Party.  In 2024 the Republicans have caught up.  The Republicans have made significant gains among voters who do not have a college degree, rural voters, and evangelical voters.  What is more amazing, at least to me, is that the Republicans have made gains among younger Black and Latino voters.

The big question in my mind is why?  Perhaps the non-college voters are angry about having loans of college students forgiven, although they don’t seem angry about subsidies for large corporations.  Perhaps they are tired of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border every month.  Perhaps they are angry about the loss of manufacturing jobs, or the homeless setting up camps in the local park.  I don’t know the reason.  Perhaps the Dems seem like elite snobs.  Any answers?

Certainly the switch can’t be because the Republican Party is speaking to their interests. 

Info for this post was taken in part from Ruth Igielnik, “G.O.P. Has Closed Party Identification Gap, a Report Says,”  New York Times (April 16, 2024), p. A13.

Everything's going wrong

I haven’t posted since Friday.  There are times when I just can’t bring myself to sit down at the keyboard and say something halfway intelligent.  So much is going wrong.

Why does India, with the founding dream of a secular state uniting different groups and languages, now turn to a leader who pushes Hindu nationalism?

Why do young people vape and put studs through their lips and noses?

Why doesn’t the U.S. reinstitute the draft or a mandatory year of public service?

Why are loan agencies and banks allowed to keep adding interest to student loans, in effect acting as gangland loan sharks?

Why do people spend money on lottery tickets instead of spending it wisely, or even saving it?  And why does the government encourage this behavior?

Why do parents and grandparents hover over their children, not allowing them independent play?

Why does the Israeli government permit paramilitary settler groups to kill Palestinians on the West Bank with impunity?

Why would almost half of the people of the United States of America plan to vote for a sociopath?

I’ll try to be more positive.  Really, I will.

Demo HQ Open House

Tomorrow the Carbon County Community Outreach Association is holding an “open house” at its new headquarters in Jim Thorpe.  The HQ, known as the Democratic Information Center, is located in a classroom of an old high school.

Local leaders and Democratic Party activists will be attending.  Refreshments include desserts and mimosas.  The event will end with a basketball scoring contest in the old gym.  

The Dems have only a few primary races this spring, so the main excitement is in the fall.  The Information Center will provide a rallying point and nerve center for what promises to be a really tough campaign.  We are under no illusions; Carbon County, PA, has been MAGA territory.  What we did in 2020, however, was put a major dent in the Republican totals.  I think this year we may actually have a chance to win the county for Biden.  He may be old, but he’s not a sociopath.

USC cancels Muslim Valedictorian's speech

OK, this is not much of a free speech issue.  USC, as far as I know, never said the speech couldn’t be published, put on line, or shouted from the street corner.  It simply said the young lady could not give the Valedictorian speech.  Making a valedictorian speech is not a constitutional right.

Secondly, the student has called for the eliminate of Israel.  And where would Israelis then go?  While what Israel is doing on the West Bank and Gaza is criminal, elimination of Israel would definitely be genocidal.  And if you point out that Israel is the result of colonialism, you also better advocate giving the remaining Indians the land that is now the United States. 

Thirdly, imagine if the student planned to call for the elimination of Ukraine, or Tibet, or Taiwan.  I think the reaction would be clear.

However, here is what I see as the big issue.  The speaker was selected from more than 200 students who met the academic qualification.  That is a grade point average of at least 3.98.  There are over 200 students at USC who have basically the equivalent of a 4.0 average?  USC either has one heck of a large number of really bright kids, or the professors there have totally succumbed to grade inflation.  I suspect the latter.

Clarence Thomas and the Jan. 6 rioters

The Supreme Court is hearing a case on whether prosecutors can use a federal obstruction law to charge hundreds of rioters involved in the Jan. 6 attempt to stop the vote count.  

Justice Thomas asked if the government was engaged in selective prosecution.  “There have been many violent protests that have interfered with proceedings.  Has the government applied this provision to other protests?”

I have some questions for Justice Thomas:

Could you please name these protests?

At how many of these protests did the protestors bring a gallows to hang the Vice President?

At how many of these protests did members of Congress fear for their lives?

Did people die at these protests?  How many?

What proceedings were involved”?

How many of these protests involved a wife of a Supreme Court Justice trying to interfere with the proceedings?

Don’t you think it about time you resign in shame from the Supreme Court?

Nikki Haley's campaign manager

A few nights ago I had a dream that I had been appointed Nikki Haley’s campaign manager in Pennsylvania.  It was kind of vague, but she tasked me with winning the state.  Now I learn that she is still on the Republican primary ballot, and I know at least one Republican who plans to vote for her.  

If you know any Pennsylvania Republicans (I doubt if anyone who reads this blog is a registered Republican) give them a suggestion to vote for Haley.  I understand that in a number of states she has been getting over 10% of the vote even though she has dropped out of the race.  It must drive Trump nuts.   

Anti-missile defenses and nucs

Israel’s ability to shoot down drones and missiles launched from Iran was impressive and amazing.  It’s like shooting a bullet to intercept another bullet.

Unfortunately, that defense would not be nearly enough if those missiles carried atomic warheads.  First of all, the missiles wouldn’t need to hit the ground to be successful.  You could explode them in the air with equal effectiveness.  Secondly, it would only take one to eliminate Tel Aviv and the surrounding area.

I’ve read that nine countries possess nukes and some delivery capability.  In a number of those countries one person gets to decide.  In Russia it is Putin.  In North Korea it is Kim.  Perhaps equally scary is that in the U.S. after next January it could be Trump.

During the last days of the Nixon presidency the Secretary of Defense thought Nixon might instigate a war.  He would then address the nation, saying, “This is not the time to worry about Watergate.  We have a national crisis, and I must assume emergency powers.”  The Secretary of Defense asked the Joint Chiefs to immediately report any weird order that came outside the chain of command.  They were prepared to countermand the order.  You obey the Constitution, not the President.  

You think those screaming MAGA people in Schnecksville yesterday give a damn about constitutional niceties?  They may care more after the mushroom clouds start appearing.  Am I being alarmist?  Probably not enough.

Feel free to post this on whatever social media platform you desire.  People need to get serious about this stuff. 

J. D. Vance, military strategist?

I have been convinced that J.D. Vance lacks integrity.  Now I learn that he also fails as a strategist.  Lots of Republican members of Congress are enamored of Putin, but most don’t publicly support his goals.  Vance does.

Yesterday in an article entitled “The Math on Ukraine Doesn’t Add Up,” Vance wrote that the West couldn’t supply enough shells and other weaponry for Ukraine to win.  The smartest thing would be for Ukraine to negotiate the best deal it could get, giving up territory in return for peace.

Vance makes the typical civilian error of equating weaponry with power.  Thank goodness he wan’t around during the American Revolution, when an out-gunned and poorly-trained American army defeated the strongest army on the planet at the time, although we did get aid from our ally France.  Vance would have been right over there with Benedict Arnold.  

And why would Putin agree to stop once people like Vance throw in the white towel?  I hope the voters of Ohio come to their senses and show this surrender monkey out the door.

Getting my taxes in early

In San Jose in the Seventies the main post office stayed open until midnight on April 15.  A line of cars drove past postal employees taking the tax returns.  How do I know that?  Because I was often in that line.  

I have learned my lesson.  I should be finished with my W-2 no later than tomorrow night.  I’ve also gotten better at planning; one year we had to sell our car to pay the federal taxes.  On the other hand, I am proud that I have never cheated on my taxes.   I don’t go around wearing a lapel flag, but I don’t cheat the U.S. government.  It needs my money to help to pay for the rich bastards who don’t pay their fair share.

Poor O.J.

When I heard about O.J.’s death, my first thought was, “That poor man.  He went to his grave never learning who killed his wife.”

Voting at my kitchen table

Earlier this evening I filled out my “vote-by-mail” ballot, put it in the secrecy envelope, put that in the mailing envelope, sealed it, and signed and dated the back.  There is no reason to make people put the date on the back; if the ballot is received by election day, that should be sufficient.  I’d even think this was a form of voter suppression, but I believe it is more a result of bad drafting of legislation. 

Remember the end of the movie “Chinatown,” after the Faye Dunaway character is killed, and Jake’s partner tells him, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”  So many times Linda will turn to me and say,  “Forget it, Roy, it’s Pennsylvania.”

The inability to start processing mail-in ballots early, the two-part system of regular mail-in ballots and absentee ballots, the lack of drop boxes, the inane rule about dating the envelope:  “Forget it, Jake, it’s Pennsylvania.”