Monthly Archives: July 2020

A Would Be Dictator

General

Never in the entire history has a President ever talked in public about postponing an election, much less a “Presidential” election. Not in world wars, not in civil wars, not in great depressions and not in epidemics. Not once, not ever. Till now.

For those who do not know yet President Donald J. Trump has called for “Postponing” the National election this November. To be clear, if he hadn’t already been Impeached by the House of Representatives and given a Free pass by the Senate on strictly partisan vote this would be grounds for impeachment if he does more than just tweet about it.

Fortunately the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader of the Senate and even members of the FEC have told him not only that he can not do it on his own they will not let this happen. No, Nadda, nyet, never!

I see only one bright spot in this debacle, Donald J. Trump has shown his true dictatorial ambition. But sadly it is going to help destroy the once Great Old Party, the Republicans. It is too late for the GOP, they have drunk the poison KoolAid. After the debacle of the impeachment vote in the Senate where they wouldn’t even bother to listen to a single price of evidence or a single witness. Not after did nothing distance themselves from the MAGA madness. All that can be done now is to let the GOP burn itself down and do everything we can to keep the self-immolation of the party not take any thing else with it.

While I have voted for Republicans in the past I shall never be able to vote for anyone with that “R” after their name on a ballot. For the same room I can not vote for a “National Socialist”, or a “Communist”, or a “Dixiecrat”. The beliefs these name stand for are an anathema to anyone who believes in “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”.

VOTE! Nov 3 2020

A Dark Thought Experiment

Philosophy, Politics, ,

This is going to be both a Dark and Brutally logical thought experiment. You have been warned.

This is just an experiment. It is not a prediction of what will be, nor even really possible to be. Only what could be. What we will be dealing with is just one possible scenario if Donald J. Trump looses in November 2020. An while this is not a prediction of the future it is as an honest “Threat Assessment“ I can formulate, given the past four years and the actions of both the Trump Administration, MAGA, and the current GOP leadership.

First some postulates:

  1. Trump looses the election with the popular and electoral college
  2. The election in the House and Senate while large is not the “Blue Tsunami”
  3. That the actions in ‘Red” States to minimize election turn out results in incredibly long lines and/or waiting times that leads to many “incidents”.
  4. The GOP/MAGA brings numerous court battles challenging the results in key “swing” states that last till early January 2021
  5. Trump is able to either use the un-identified currently mobilized to put down the protests in several Blue cities like Portland Oregon to “protect” the White House before the inauguration.

Given the above postulates it is quite possible that Donald J. Trump just might refuse to accept the election results and refuses to leave the White House. The question is if the Federal Government would accept his position. Would the current AG leave office or would AG Barr attempt to stay in office and protect Trump. What about the acting heads of DHS and/or the FBI? What would they do? What could they do legally? What could be done against them if they try to stay in office past 20 January 2021?

Finally, just to add a little spice to the mix, where will the nuclear “Football” be in January 2021? If it is still in the West Wing what will the person caring it do? What will be his/her orders from the Pentagon dealing with Trump refusing to leave office?

Could we be on the way to a new Civil War?

Love to hear your ideas so please share.

The Time has Come

General, Philosophy, Politics, , , , ,

The time has come,’ the Walrus said,
      To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
      Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
      And whether pigs have wings.’

Over the past few weeks I have been feeling more and more like I have both “fallen down the rabbit hole” and gone “Thru the Looking Glass” at the same time. It is mostly because of the rampant insanity I’m seeing around me. In the middle of the greatest pandemic in a hundred years we have both people who should know better telling us it is:

  1. All a hoax
  2. It will be over “Real Soon Now”
  3. 100,000+ death are acceptable
  4. Trust me, not the scientists, I know better
  5. It’s all a plot to defeat Donald Trump’s re-election

The above is not an exhaustive list, just what I can remember right now. But beyond the above I’ve started to hear people not on the far left, more like the middle left, thinking the unthinkable. That the GOP, the MAGAs, and Donald Trump will use the pandemic to suppress enough voter turn out. To delay the vote count due to record number of mail-in ballots. To challenge the election results when and if Trump looses both the popular and elector votes.

I am not going to be a miss Pollyanna here. I am going to try to just point out that unlike the little oysters we need to listen to the wise ones and not follow the Walrus and the Carpenter, lest we be eaten.

Coming Next: A dark Thought Experiment or Two

The Real Deplorables

General
Child Sacrifice

Back in 2015/16 when some people were calling the Supporters of Donald J. Trump “Deplorables” I thought it was inappropriate and a bad idea. In 2020 I no longer think so. I owe this to the actions of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. An here is why.

Today, for the first time, I had a running with a person who not only got on the bus I was on with out a mask, she refused to put one on. Now I admit I was loud and less than polite but she was worse. She parroted all the nonsense coming out of the White House on why she wasn’t wearing a mask. To add insult to injury not long after I gave up another person, wearing a mask improperly (her noise was uncovered) and sat down next to the unmasked lady. No social distancing at all. An proceeded to chatter away. Obviously a friend.

It is this uncaring attitudes that I find so deplorable. This is a Pandemic we are in. The Covid-19 virus doesn’t react in anyway to a persons political beliefs, unless those beliefs make you act in a way that enables the virus to spread to new hosts/victims. Those people who do not follow the recommendations of the CDC: to Ware a mask, keep a 6’ distance between people, and washing hands are not showing their disdain of science but also how little they think of others.

These are the true Deplorables. Those people who care not one iota of the welfare of others and only for themselves. Back in 2015/16 it wasn’t easy to identify just who these people are, now it is not. Anyone who isn’t wearing a mask today is proclaiming to the everyone they meet that they are proudly a Deplorable.

Next: What to do.

Problem with Masks

General
N95 Mask

I just had a conversation on Facebook involving people who don’t like wearing masks (like the N95 mask above) because the “can’t breath” or it “effects their breathing”, etc. Unfortunately i took it as an actual cry for help and answered with cold logic. Before I get started here let me give my bonifides.

First, to my knowledge, I have almost died from both pneumonia (at lest twice) and croup at lest once but I think many more times). This has left me with both a physiological and psychological after effects. The physiological effect is a breath reflex that has to be seen to believe. The psychological is that I suffer from hydrophobia (fear of water/drowning). My reaction to anything that restricts, in anyway, has to be seen to believed. Even something like the sensor used by a polygraph to monitor breathing sets me off. (It means I can’t take a polygraph, ever. It shows I’m always lying.) Finally I have a heart condition that limits the amount of oxygen blood that circulates and if I punch myself I get out of breath.

Given my back ground I have always been curious about breathing. Back in the 80’s I found out that it is the concentration of CO2 in the air that controls our breath reflex. (Note: given the age of y data if anyone out there has more up to date information pleas leave a link.) Also in the 80’s i had to be checked out with a full face mask so I could be cleared to go into a ‘Clean Room’, which I never had to do. I did find out at the time that all ‘cloth’ mask did not interfere with the passage of CO2/O2 to any measurable degree. What most people are reacting to is the warmth of the air and the increased humidity of the air, which cloth mask do effect.

Lastly, the only person I have ever know who could not ware a cloth mask was a lady who had lost the use of something like 80% of her lungs do to T.B. And she had a special breathing mask she used for protection against infections.

Give the above, if you think wearing a mask is restricting or in anyway affecting your breathing I can, and do draw the following inferences.

I) Your reaction is psychosomatic and you may have an issue you are not aware of and you need to seek help. Or you are aware of it and haven’t lurked how to deal with it completely and professional help is also recommended. I my case I just had to learn not to panic. Not easy, let me tell you, but it is possible to do. If I can learn to swim, you can learn to wear a cloth mask. Trust me.

II) You have, possibly unknown to you, physiological problem. Possible either with your heart and/or lungs. You need to see your Doctor about it.

III) You are ill and something, like Covid-19, is interfering with your breathing. Also call your Doctor.

Now that we are thru all the actual problems facing you it could be you just can’t stand the humid ware breath you just expelled. You need to find a mask that works for you as the basic cloth mask isn’t it.

What it is not is a reason not to wear a mask. Nor does it justify your getting upset with people ask you to wear a mask.

So Wear the Mask already.