No Politics Wednesday Wanderings

 

Although I have plenty to say about Trump's taxes and last night's debacle (I mean debate), I'm going to do my best for this final post of September to talk about things besides politics.

Ok, this is tougher than I thought.

Let me try again.

Here's my doggies attending a Cheerio's party.  They like me being home more.  I'm not sure why.

Anything else?

I found two of my books at Waycross Ware County Public Library, History of the Trap, and Crowley Stories!  They are in the back of the library, in a section for local authors.  So you can see there is quite a collection of us.  Do yourself a favor, if this is your public library, check any of these books today! My books are also available for purchase at the Okefenokee Heritage Center and Amazon.  Buy enough, and I'll be able to quit accounting and concentrate full time on writing.

Anything else non-political?

Look, I'm trying.

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We may have to take down some damaged trees.  That will cost money.  I am so thrilled.

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It's been a frustrating season for Atlanta United fans.  At least they're not becoming legendary like the Atlanta Falcons, who may be forever etching themselves as the go-to team for sports announcers when a team is blowing a big lead.  As in, "Are the Buffalo Bills pulling a Falcons today?"

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I'm watching TV some.  I watched one of the worst shows ever last night.  It featured an uncontrolled bully running roughshod over everybody.  It was...

Crap.  Swore I wouldn't talk about that.

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Ok.  The struggle is real.  I've tried to be sweet and stretch my brain as much as possible.

112 more days until...well...you know.

Wanderingly yours,

T. M. Strait

KIssing Health Care Goodbye In the Middle of a Pandemic: Saturday Political Soap Box 253

 

We're going to lose the Affordable Health Care Act.

Yes, this is just one of many things that will be lost under a 6-3 far-right court.  The most discussed is the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which I have addressed in other blog posts.  Suffice to say here that I believe the elimination of Roe v. Wade will NOT accomplish what either side thinks it will, and the result will be a RISING number of abortions in this country.

But the Affordable Care Act?  You can kiss that goodbye.  And the effect will be devastating, especially in a pandemic.

This is ironic* at a time when the Act is growing increasingly popular.  The Republicans initially insisted on calling it Obamacare.  What started out as derision is now a badge of honor.  

Why do Republicans insist on this act of political suicide?  They're not flexible enough to change, especially operating under a racist President who despises everything the black President did and wants to erase all his achievements from history.

Insurance companies could no longer discriminate based on pre-conditions.  You could keep your children on your insurance until they were 26.  People who couldn't rely on employer-based insurance had access to an insurance market, and it was subsidized based on income.  It opened up more to qualify for Medicare. That's just a few of its benefits.

Yes, Obamacare has its flaws.  So what?  All legislation does.  The President and his supporters thought that over time, like Social Security and Medicare and other programs, Obamacare would be corrected and improved in subsequent years.

That didn't happen.  That's because we had a Republican party that had decided it was more important to tear down Democratic achievements than solve problems either on their own or in conjunction with Democrats.  Having no solution was better than having a Democratic solution.

Usually, when legislation like this passes, that benefits so many, it gets accepted as a standard part of life, and it becomes tough to remove. And Obamacare was well on its way to doing this.  That is why there is going to be a huge political cost to Republicans for removing it.  It is why Supreme Court Justice John Roberts switched sides in the last Obamacare health care case and put a stop to its wanton destruction. With the addition of Amy "Aunt Lydia" Barrett, he won't be able to check the far-right justices' worst instincts.

Some things could have passed with the original Affordable Health Care Act that would have made it be accepted faster and thereby harder to remove. The most significant of these would have been a public option, allowing people to buy into a government plan in state marketplaces. Instead of a squirming and squallering private insurer, you could have a competitive public plan to choose from.  Another that almost passed was making an option where people 55 and older could buy into Medicare. Joe Lieberman single-handedly stopped that, even though that proposal was part of his 2004 Presidential-run platform.  People like Joe Lieberman and Joe Manchin are why we can't have nice things, even when Democrats control things.

Speaking of controlling things, when the election is over, and we have Biden as President, and a Senate Democratic majority, they will need to repair what they can of the Affordable Care Act.  They will have to vote through something that addresses whatever challenges the Supreme Court leaves in the wake of its destruction of the Act.  My fondest wish is that they just chuck it and go to Medicare For All (universal health care, single-payer - I don't care what you call it as long as it happens).  Failing that, you absolutely have to have a public option and/or greater buy-in capacity to Medicare. A redo will be worthless without that.  

Unfortunately, we couldn't get a public option or Medicare buy-in when the Democrats had a 60-vote technically veto-proof majority. My most optimistic predictions would be for a Democratic caucus of about 54. Sadly, Joe Manchin and a handful of conservative/corporate Democrats will have more power than ever.  We also will have a President who has stated that he opposes Medicare For All.

So, if we don't want to leave millions without health insurance, if we don't want to see millions excluded from coverage for pre-existing conditions (I'm sorry, Sir, your heart condition was caused by your bout with COVID, so, too bad so sad - here's your bill for $350,000 to cover your heart attack), if you don't want to see uncontrolled insurance costs skyrocket**, then it will be up to us to organize and protest as loudly as we can.  We need to let wavering Democrats know that our support for them depends on their willingness to restore our right to decent, affordable health care.

This is only one of the things we will lose when Aunt Lydia steps onto the Supreme Court.  It's a biggie, though.

Millions will lose health care.  Hundreds of thousands will go bankrupt or be forced to its edge.  Tens of thousands will die.

As Biden told Obama when the passing of the Affordable Care Act was announced, "This is a big f--ing deal."

This time, however, it won't be in a good way.

*am I using ironic in the right way?  I don't know.  Language and its use change all the time. Deal. 

**think Trump's political ploy of an executive order about pre-existing conditions means anything at all?  No, it's unenforceable trash.  Even if private insurers cover pre-existing conditions, it will be without limits on how much they can charge.  "You have diabetes, Sir?  Sure we'll cover it!  That'll be an extra 40 Grand a year, please."

History of the Trap Vol. 2: Chapter One - Justice Trapped Part 5

 

5

 

“Did you ever think you would fall in love with goat cheese,” said Ginny, looking with dreamy eyes at a piece of feta, like it was Adonis.

“Gee,” said Artie Pentler.  “I wish you would like at me that way.”

Ginny laughed, tearing off a bite of the cheese and tossing to Artie. “Here.  Taste it, and you’ll look at it that way too.”

With all the changes that had occurred, with all the trauma I had experienced, with losing Lisa, with my aching heart, you would think that watching Ginny and Artie flirt would no longer bother me.  Did I like Ginny?  Yes, she was beautiful and possessed a personality I found extremely attractive. I cannot deny that.  But I had long accepted that she was attracted to Arite and not me.  And it was hard to deny their connection. Maybe that it was bothered me.  Not jealousy that Ginny should be with me, but jealousy that together they could have who I no longer could.  Lisa was gone, taken from me by a brutal killer who at least was now behind bars.

Well, bars may be an exaggeration.  Up until this point, we had had some minor infractions that resulted in students serving detention. Teachers on a rotating basis supervised them in a room where the violators spent the day, except for when Coach Walterzak (our football coach, and strongest disciplinarian) would take them out to clean around the school grounds.

That seemed too weak of a response for a murderer.  The Shop classrooms had a caged area, where parts and supplies had been kept.  Those were removed, and the area was made over into prison cells, or as close as we could come.  A total of three cells were set up, even though the only prisoner was Mark Granite.  I guess we wanted to be prepared for future problems. Yeah, that turned to be both prophetic and a wild underestimate.

Our little group was changing again.  Ginny and Artie were still mainstays, of course, as was Jerry Mack.  Mary Estill, Ginny’s sister, and Lindsay Starn were with us more often than not, as was Geoffery Misner and Nathan Harkin.

Jerry Mack, small and frail, barely over five feet tall, had often been ill the past year but was feeling better the last month.  He still said little, and when he did speak, it was most often supportive and kind.  He sat next to me, offering me a piece of feta cheese, but I declined.  He didn’t seem to eat much and was often offering his food to others.

Mary Estill was finally laughing and engaging more.  I think the loss of her boyfriend, Jim Kurrash, who died in the tunnel collapse last July, had receded enough that, although hardly forgotten, she sometimes could experience moments of joy and happiness.  She was giggling with Lindsay Starn, sharing some private joke.  Both were blondes, Mary’s hair longer, and Lindsay’s more closely cropped.  Hair length grew in our weird little trap, where so many natural laws seemed to be fractured, but not as quick as it did in the outside world.  Monty Keller found that out the hard way, when last Fall, he shaved his head bald, and now, over a half year later, he barely had more than a crewcut peach fuzz.  Mary was taller than Lindsay, as Mary was an inch or so shorter than Ginny. Mary’s height put us at each other's eye level, whereas Lindsay had to look up at me (not very high up, but up nonetheless).

Geoffery Misner laughed at a joke that Mary told.  He had told me last month that he was ‘intrigued’ with Mary, and although she was polite to his flirting, she did little to engage it.  Geoffery was in my sleep room (they stuck us together alphabetically, so I roomed with a lot of M’s – indeed, we were nicknamed the M & M’s), and also an actor in my soap opera, The Sands of Loren, playing an ambitious young lawyer.  Geoffery was tall and gangly, hair a light ginger color, a pleasant face often brightened with a big smile.

The most recent member of Artie’s gang was Nathan Harkin.  He was a survivor of the tunnel collapse, still using crutches to get around.  Our amateur medical staff had tried to repair his damaged leg, but they were not able to fix it enough to eliminate his need for the assistance of crutches.  Sometimes you could see the excruciating pain on his face.  Our pain relievers were limited, beyond a supply of aspirin that was found in the tunnels.

We had others who came in and out, that were with us some but not all the time. They included Phil Irman, who I worked with at the TV studio, Arlette Mierkey, and Larry Weisman.

Larry was just coming to join us this morning.  I remember because of the news he had to tell. “Hey, Lance!  Are you excited about the news?”

I had no idea what he meant.  “What news?” I asked.

“You don’t know?”  I shook my head.  “I’m stunned.  Ok, here it goes…guess who’s going to be the Principal’s son again?”

“Melissa Brown?” joked Ginny.  Melissa’s father was Director of Elementary Education and had been a principal of Loren Elementary School before that.  She was just kidding around, as Melissa’s father hadn’t been at the high school the day of the Trap.

I pushed aside Ginny’s lame joke. “You’re talking about my father, I gather. They’ve put him back in charge?  What happened to Mr. Tate?”

Oh, he’s out,” said Larry. “There was not enough to convict him in the Granite murders.  There was nothing to show direct or indirect complicity. He was held responsible for allowing Mark Granite such free reign and not be observant enough to be more aware of his activities.”

“He is responsible,” asserted Lindsey Starn. “Mr. Tate used Granite and his popularity to pack the Student Council with students that would help impeach and remove your father. And the price Mr. Tate paid was to let Granite’s buddies become the controlling part of the Student Security Force.  As far as I’m concerned, he should be in a cell right next to Granite.”

I couldn't help.  “Yeah.  And Robert Pelley right there with them.”

“Hey, be careful now!” said Geoffery.  “The prison isn’t that big.  Those three will take it to full capacity!”

“Nevertheless,” said Larry, “he’s only been stripped of administrative responsibilities, and will just be a teacher again.”

“Teaching what class?” asked Mary.  “I sure don’t want him to be my teacher.”

Larry looked smug, ready to reveal the most ironic fact of all.  “Teaching World Humanities.  Yep, he’s taking over Mrs. Forsyth’s schedule.”

We all gasped—what a horrible legacy.  Nathan turned a pale green.  “Crap.  I’m in that class.”  He closed his eyes for a second.  Then he opened them, resolved.  “Well.  I guess I’m dropping that class.”

“I’m betting you won’t be the only one,” said Lindsey.

My mind was aswirl.  I could not process this information.  On the one hand, I was glad my Dad was vindicated and restored to the position to which he excelled. On the other hand, I feared for the future scrutiny he might have to endure. The arrest of Mark Granite, and the demotion of Mr. Tate, did not immediately remove all threats and challenges to him.  There were still Granite’s accomplices and defenders.  There were still teachers and administrators who might not be happy with the change.  And there was still David Izzner and his black markets.

As those around me mused about what this might mean, the Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Glenda Novik, came up to our group. “Lance, would you come with me, please?”

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re wanted in the front office.”  She put her hand on my shoulder. “Trust me.  You’re not in any kind of trouble.”

I went with her, fearing that trouble was something that would never go away.

And was I ever right.

 

Good Genes Wednesday Wanderings

 I got good genes.

No.  Sorry. I mean good jeans.  

Well, I have one good pair of jeans.  I can fit in those pretty good.  Others are either too loose or too tight. I need to lose weight again.  I'm not at record weights, but I have lost focus.  But sometimes you just gotta saddle up and try again, no matter how many times you've done it before.

On Monday's post, I was laid low.  I had arthritic pain in my foot and ankle that, when it's gotten that bad before, usually lasts several weeks.  But by some miracle, it has dissipated, and I am much better.  Maybe my decision to take it easy Monday paid off.  Or perhaps I just have good genes.

I know I had one good Gene.  That was my father, Eugene Everett Strait, whom everybody called Gene.  Well, not me.  I called him Dad.

Yes, we inherit traits from our parents and other ancestors.  I won't get into the whole nature vs. nurture thing.  I can't judge that.  Am I a good person because I saw my Dad being a good person, or am I a good person because of the strict genetic transfer of personality inclinations?  I don't know. I tend more towards genetics concerning physical traits and less on mental.

What I do reject outright is the good genes eugenic "racehorse theory" propounded by Donald Trump.  He advocates that, because of breeding, some of us are just naturally superior to others.  This is ethnic related - he often says this in front of white crowds, mainly of German or Scandinavian background.

This was an idea more popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  It led to the promotion of sterilization for 'inferiors."* The whole philosophy climaxed with Hitler and the Nazis.  And it was a horrible, deadly climax indeed.

I thought we had moved ahead of this kind of nonsense.  But Donald Trump is bringing it back, and it is the most dangerous thing he believes that nobody in the media seems to be discussing.

You can even see it in the way Trump is trying to dismiss the 203,446 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the US.  Why, they are elderly people who already have health problems! He is diminishing their worth and criticizing them for not have good genes.  After all, isn't he old?  He takes crap care of himself, yet he thinks he's "special" because he has good genes.

He thinks he innately knows things because of his genetically inherited intelligence.  He thinks because he has smart relatives (like an Uncle who was a scientist), that means he knows those things too.  He doesn't have to study.  He doesn't have to learn things or critically examine issues.  Why, he just naturally knows the answer because of his genetic superiority!

This is so dangerous.  This is straight-up evil.  And I wish more of my friends would wake up and notice.  You are supporting a racist monster.

*think sterilization no longer occurs?  Then you haven't heard the scandal about the doctor who coerced sterilizations at a detention center for undocumented immigrants. That is happening NOW.  TODAY.

Laid Low Monday Musings

 

I am laid low.  No,  Not COVID.  At least, I don't think so.  It's just the usual foot/leg arthritis-related thing I get once a year or so.  I'd actually been on a pretty good streak - usually get in May/June, around the time we try to take a trip.  

Well, I fooled my body by not having a vacation, but it eventually caught up with me. Hopefully, a day home with the dogs will be the rest I need.

It is difficult to write with the pain sensors firing, but I'll do my best.

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As with anybody who is not on the right-wing fringes, I am much disturbed and stressed by the news of the passing of RBG. It's not fair to her, but the truth is that she was the one with her finger plugging the damn of right-wing nonsense that we are now going to be flooded with.

We've had two Republican Senators, Murkowski and Collins, commit to not voting for a nominee until the inauguration of the next President.  Is that significant, or is that just the usual Hall Pass he gives out to one or two Senators who need to pretend they're independent in order to cater to their home state?

Does anyone know of any other Republican Senators who have publicly committed to delaying until there's a new President?  This would have to be commitments they made after RBG passed.

Most of the Republicans have no shame in contradicting the stance they took on delay in 2016. Republicans, thy middle name is HYPOCRISY.

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Benjamin is back at college in Milledgeville.  THeir COVID numbers have been high, but Benjamin has used an abundance of caution, and at least ON CAMPUS, most students are cooperating.

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Big Brother 22 is having its worse season ever.  The assault on minority players, including one with a mild form of autism, has been shocking and repulsive.  Will I keep watching it?  Probably as long as Kevin, Day'Vonne, and David are still playing, but I am fast-forwarding through chunks.

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The Emmys were awsome.  More Emmys went to shows Alison and I watch and like more than any other year than I can remember.  Schitt's Creek is phenomenal, and we watched ALL the seasons this last year.  Now Alison wants to see them again.  Watchmen was brilliant, and I was glad to see it win.  And Succesion is a favorite of ours as well.  Oh, and can't forget Last Week with John Oliver.  I like HBO.  It's my favorite premium service.  I just wish ROKU and HBO MAX would get their Shitt's Creek together so I can watch all the HBO MAX shows on our big TV.

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Sports is...discouraging.  Atlanta United (MLS) is having the franchise's worst season, the Detroit Tigers are not showing a playoff quality level of play, and don't get me started on the Falcons and the Lions.

Maybe I should drop my favorites and just pick whoever's winning, become a fair-weather fan.

Nah.  Can't do it.  Just not in my DNA.

I haven't decided about college football yet.  I don't think they should be playing - the risk is too significant.  But I seem to be in the minority on this.

At least keep the stadiums empty.  For God's sake, money is not as important as human lives.  I know that is a radical philosophy to hold in the Age of Trump, but hold to it I do.

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I have achieved all I can in my semi-coherent state.

Musingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

On the Basis of Justice: Saturday Political Soap Box 252

 

This is not what I wanted to write about this morning.

In a more perfect reality, Ruth Bader Ginsberg would have retired at the beginning of the Biden Presidency and spent the remainder of her days with loved ones.

But that's not how it worked out.  When Hillary Clinton lost narrowly in the Electoral College, RBG bravely stuck it out, determined to work through the Trump Presidency.  Whatever her health issues, her mind never lost a step, writing some of the most brilliant briefs in the history of the court.  They were particularly telling in her dissenting opinions, defending everything that made this country great.

She started her stellar career as an advocate for gender equality and women's rights, successfully arguing landmark cases before the Supreme Court.   In 1993, in one of Bill Clinton's best decisions, he nominated her to the Supreme Court.

Her record of both leading the court in opinions, both when in the majority or her fiery dissents, puts her at the forefront of being one of the most significant Supreme Court Justices of all time.  In Heaven's All-Star team of Supreme Court justices, she may very well be the Chief Justice.

It cannot be ignored how well she got along with her peers.  She had good relationships, even with her fierce opponents, including Scalia and Kavanaugh.

I would love for this post to just be a tribute to her amazing record.  It deserves to be.  But we are at a crucial time in our democratic republic, and the forces bringing us to our knees will not wait.

Next to the horror of a Trump re-election, the thing I feared the most was the death of RBG.  The balance of the Supreme Court could overturn Progressive legislation for the next two decades, even if the Progressives took over the Presidency and Congress.

In a matter of just a few hours, Mitch McConnell had already announced that Trump's nominee, when known, would be voted on post-haste.  And you thought they were serious about what they did to Obama and Merrick Garland, that it was based on any kind of principle that the Republicans should apply?  After all, isn't 46 days much closer than nine months?

No.  It wasn't about principle.  It was and always has been about sheer political power.  He controls the Senate.  He will do whatever the ef he wants.

That was bad enough.  Also ghoulishly pouncing was Georgia US Senate candidate, Doug Collins, declaring RBG a murderer because of her stance on anti-abortion cases.  He is gleeful, and that is probably only the start of the monstrous responses. The sad thing is, I feel like Collins will win and become US Senator.

I am so sick of the hypocrisy on the abortion issue.  You think ending Roe v. Wade will end abortion?  No, it will not.  It will accelerate it.  It's about giving states permission to discriminate against abortion in their home states.  Not every state is going to do that.  Many states will decide to keep pro-choice options.  People who can afford it will just go to those states.  The poor will suffer, but they've always suffered under our system.

You can't legislate this away, any more than alcohol was eliminated by Prohibition.  

I won't go into all of it here, but as someone who doesn't like abortion, I'm smart enough to know that education, support, and birth control are the better ways to go.  The dirty secret is that abortion rates have declined sharply under Democratic Presidents.  I would rather that continue than for us to go to Civil War.

As the morning after pill and other quick remedies become more prominent, it is clear that we are trying to burn the country down over a 20th-century procedure, one that is rapidly being replaced by other solutions.

But it is not only Roe v. Wade we will lose if the Supreme Court is taken over by right-wing extremists.

We will also lose -

Voting Rights

LGBTQ Rights

Other Gender Equality Issues

Environmental Protections

Any check on the power of Corporations and the Wealthy

Any check on an Imperial Presidency

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

Future Healthcare legislation

Worker Protections

Minimum Wages

Unions

And those are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.

I love RBG.  I love her record of achievement, her fundamental decency, and kindness.  I want to celebrate and honor all that and more.

But I am also in fear right now.  Fear for our country and future.  Fear for the moral arc of the universe.

But I know one thing.

She would not want us to quit.  She would not want us to surrender. No matter the odds.

The windmill tilting will continue.

History of the Trap Vol. 2: Chapter One: Justice Trapped Part 4

 

4

 

My first conversation with Morgan Dona Tigh in over a year came early one morning in late April, our second year in the Trap.  This time, it was longer than her just trying to get free chocolate milk, but it was even more unpleasant.

I was where I’d been for our conversation that last morning before the Trap fell.  The trial still ongoing, I was trying to stay out of it as much as possible this time, only attending when called as a witness.  So,  I spent most mornings in the cafetorium, very early before the breakfast crowd filtered in, writing segments for the soap opera The Sands of Loren.  Yes, that was still going on.  Students loved it, and the TV equipment was still working (although Mr. Resart was starting to stress that our inventory of replacement parts was beginning to dwindle).

I did have Vice-Principal Charles Stein and Student Council Representative Wilbur Jones reviewing my script to edit any political or social commentary.  Sometimes it was easy to fool them. Sometimes it was not.  My best strategy was to have something blatant for them to pounce on, distracting them from smaller things that would slip through.

As I tried to figure out a new joke for Nurse Rackett, I looked up and saw Morgan approach, wearing a nurse’s uniform, a white dress, a little tighter than you would expect, and two buttons left undone at the top.  She was sexy, I admit.  Not as in your face as Nurse Rackett, but Morgan got her intent across.

She could not take her eyes off me.  I don’t mean in a sultry way.  She looked angry.  She looked like she wanted to take me out. At that time, she probably did.

“Hello, Lance,” she said, dripping scorn.

I tried to croak out, “Hi,” but was unsuccessful even at that.

She didn’t sit down.  She put her hands on the table and stared at me.  “I see you’re working on that little play you do.”

“Y-yes,” I managed to say.

“You’re real good at that, aren’t you, Lance?  You like ‘playing’ at things, don’t you?  You have quite the imagination.  You make up all kinds of things.” She smiled, a chilling, cold smile.

“It’s just a story,” I said, trying to get my voice back.  “I know the difference between what’s real and what’s not.”

She laughed.  “Do you?  Really?  Wow, can’t prove that by the wild fantasies you’re spinning about Mark.”

“It’s true!  He’s a killer!”

“Is it?  Are you sure?  You know, you’ve been after Mark ever since the Trap fell.  Why, I wonder?  Are you jealous?”

“No!” I shouted.  “Why would I be jealous of him?” 

She put a hand to her chin and looked up in mock puzzlement.  “Hmmm.  Let me think.  Maybe you never got over your ridiculous elementary school crush of me.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Is it, though?  Maybe you thought your way would be clear once you got Mark out of the way.  Look, I don’t believe you’re the killer.  You’re too big of a wimp to be that. But to take advantage of the chaos and try to blame Mark?  Oh, yes, that is for sure in your wheelhouse.”

“You honestly think Mark is innocent?  Come on.  You know him better than most of us.  I saw you hesitated to alibi him for Lisa’s murder.  You must know something is wrong.”

She hesitated, just for a second.  Did she have doubts?  I suspected she did, but instantly her guard was back up. “You’re right.  And that’s why I know most of what you say about him is bull hockey.”  Okay, Doctor Duncan, that’s not quite the word she used, but that’s what I feel comfortable writing.

 She pushed away from the table but kept up her deadly stare. “And just to make it crystal clear, your little plan is going to fail.  I will never fall for you.  I will never even like you, you worthless, chubby over-protected Principal’s son!  I wouldn’t fall for you even if we were the last two people left in this godforsaken Trap!”

At that, she huffed away.

Never fall for me?

Well, that turned out not to be true.

 

Waterfall Wednesday Wanderings

 

Here comes the rain again.

Falling off my roof like a waterfall.

Wildfires.  Hurricanes. Floods.  Drought.  Record high temperatures.

My little corner of the world, Southeast Georgia, is getting off pretty easy compared to many other spots around the globe.

We've had hot days, but nothing that seems too out of range for this area.  We've had enough rain that we haven't had to worry about the Okefenokee Swamp running ablaze.

I won't go on about climate change/global warming on this post.  Either you accept reality, or you don't.  It's happening, regardless of whether you believe in it or not.

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Reading:  The Great Halifax Explosion by John U Bacon.  It tells of a munitions laden ship blowing up in the Halifax harbor, creating the most massive explosion mankind had experienced (only topped by the atomic bomb).  I wasn't sure if it might get too technical, over describing ships and stuff (like Tom Clancy did with 10-page descriptions of submarines), but it's character and story-driven, rather than overly technical. This occurred during WWI.  Yes, I'm reading more about history, and I love it.

Watching:  Just finished The Umbrella Academy with Alison.  I loved it!  Relevant but not as amped as Watchmen, superhero action but not as campy as some of the DC and Marvel stuff.  I'm a huge Ellen Page fan, and it was good to see so much of the story focused on her character.  

We are in the second season of The Carol Burnett Show.  It is incredibly funny, although some things are outdated - the political humor was often more conservative than I remembered. The attitude towards LGBTQ reflected a little bit too much snark.  Tim Conway is a guest star at this point, but not a regular, but whenever he or Johnathan Winters is on, it really kicks it up a notch.  I'm also impressed with some of the older greats that appear - Mickey Rooney, Martha Raye, Don Rickles - I had forgotten what a great sense of comedy, a vaudevillian spirit, that permeates their performances.

I've started the second season of The Boys.  This is adult superhero drama done right.  It presents a chilling world where major corporations use superheroes to achieve their own corporate ends.  It also has one of the oldest tropes in superhero stories - what if the good guy with ultimate power turned evil?  I love Superman, but it's only a matter of time before each writer who handles him decides how clever it is to show what Superman is like if he was evil.  Been there, done that, move on!

Writing:  Blog.  History of the Trap Part 2.  Should be marketing/querying The Extra Credit Club, but I fear rejection too much to deal with it.  Yes, I have a fully complete book, and I am just sitting on it.  If anyone (18 or older) would like to beta read it for me, I would much appreciate it.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Weapon of Choice

 Pictures bring more eyes to the yard.

So, often I try to search out a photo to begin my blog stories.  In doing so, I have made a terrifying discovery.

No matter what topic I choose, no matter how "lefty" I try to be, when I search for photos on Facebook, the vast majority of those I get to choose from are pro-Trump.  Hard to believe from a candidate who has ALWAYS been more unpopular than popular,  

You can discover this too when you pull up the Facebook feeds of people who may only tangentially be your friends, ones whom Facebook's algorithms have decided you don't need to see very often.

You come up with one regrettable conclusion:

Facebook is the Trumpeteer's weapon of choice.

This is not readily apparent to we anit-Trumpers, because between our own unfollows and Facebook's algorithms reinforcing our already set beliefs, we don't always see the madness.

That is why when the people on my side post memes and stories AND FACTS that spell out how horrible and dangerous this President really is, it falls on deaf ears.  If they see our posts at all, we are mere blips on their Facebook radar.  They are awash with anti-Democrat (and anti-Democratic) propaganda, a lot of stuff that we either don't see or only see as blips.

The young have fled Facebook, in no small degree, preferring Instagram, Redditt, Snapchat, and things that are too new and hip for this old guy to even know about.  Some are divided like Facebook, algorithms reinforcing beliefs. Some of these sites are more apolitical than others, but all cater to the niche interests of each participant.

I saw an interview yesterday on MSNBC (center left CORPORATE media) of a reporter who had spent in-depth time with women who had voted for Trump in 2016 but would not vote for him in 2020.  What struck me most about what they said is that they weren't really paying attention to Trump's negatives in 2016, that what they were hearing and seeing on Social media was mostly Trump-positive, and didn't realize until it was too late how bad he really was.  Yeah.  OK.  I thought anyone halfway sentient would recognize from the 80s on what a scumbucket Trump was, but maybe that was just me.  I may not be much, but I do have a highly refined and sensitive CONMAN RADAR.

The point is, social media, which several years ago (e.g., the Arab Spring) I thought would make the world more democratic, has instead fostered division and hatred.  Additionally, I believe that Facebook is now dominated by Trumpeteers (thanx and a hat's tip to Russian bots).

Oh well.  Never give up.  Never surrender.  Beleive, as naive as it may be, that you can eventually reach the decency in people.

Back to my windmill tilts.  

The Trump Premium: Saturday Political Soap Box 251

 The incredibly damning Woodward tape made it irrefutable. To explain it as succinctly as I could, I created this meme/statement -

It's true.

He knew.

He lied.

People Died.

I soon discovered that I was on the right track.  At first, I saw it from my favorite writer, Stephen King.

He knew.

He lied.

190,000 died.

It proved very popular.  I began seeing King's version many places.  Hard to believe his version would take off, and mine wouldn't.  Maybe he has more followers.  I don't know.

But, really, is that fair?

Should we attribute what is, as of writing this, all 195,958* confirmed COVID-19 deaths to Donald Trump?

I mean, I am a major league Donald Trump despiser, but this is a global pandemic, after all.  Some deaths would occur here, no matter how top rate the leadership.

We need to look at what the Trump premium is.  What would be the best estimate at how many more deaths the United States experienced because of Trump's lack of leadership?

Let's start by conceding that it might be fair to assume that the US would have at least a share of the cases based on its proportion of the world's population.  Estimates vary on this, but I think a reasonable percentage would be 4.25%.  That's a little bit of rounding, but not much.

This is based on numbers provided by the Bing COVID-19 tracker.  Please keep in mind this is in constant flux, rising every hour.  As of 9 AM, the global total of confirmed COVID-19 deaths is -

916,237

We then look at that number and take out the number of US deaths, to reconfigure what it would look like with a proportional number of US deaths based on US population -

916,237 - 195,958 = 720,279

Then we take that number, adjust it up to cover what it would be with 4.25% of COVID-19 deaths attributable to the US.

720,279 / 95.75% = 752,250

752,250 * 4.25% = 31,971

31,971**

Our population share of the global COVID-19 deaths would be 31,971.

But let's give Trump the benefit of the doubt.  Even under the right leadership, we are not the best-behaved country on Earth.  We can't have expected to react as well as South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, or even China.  We just have a bone-deep strain of rugged individualism (politically incorrectly version - selfish pricks -people who value their personal liberty over social responsibility).  So, let's say we behave WORSE than the rest of the world (well, except maybe Brazil) even with the leadership saying and doing the right things.  Let's say, I know this is horrible, but let's say we are TWICE as bad as the rest of the world.  So let's double the number we could expect under good leadership -

31,971 * 2 = 63,942

So, where does that leave us, comparing the number of COVID-19 deaths we have to the number that we might have had if someone like Trump*** wasn't President.

195,938 - 63,942 = 132,016

So, a fairer number to use with Trump, as of Saturday morning at 9AM EST, is 132,016, rounding to 132,000.

So, a more accurate version of what both Stephen and I are trying to say is -

It's true.

He knew.

He lied.

132,000 died.

There.  Doesn't that look better?  That's mot so bad, is it?

Better? Even with a more accurate number, it is...

Mind-numbingly Horrifying

And, to add to the horror, this number changes upward every day.  Americans are still dying of COVID-19, at the rate of about 1,000 a day.

I will not let you forget this, Trumpeteers.  I will update and re-post every day on Facebook, the Trumpeteer's weapon of choice. And every day that goes by that you continue to support him, it becomes more your responsibility than his.

I wish I didn't have to be this way.  But too much is at stake to do otherwise.

*that is the reported number on the Bing COVID-19 tracker at 9AM Saturday, September 12th.  Tragically, that number is still rising by a thousand or more every day.

**all numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.

***just kidding.  There is no one like Trump.  I cannot imagine a worse leader to have at this time.  I always knew he was incompetent, narcissistic, and racist, but the Woodward tapes prove something in addition to that - he's evil.  No other way to put it.  Sorry. The truth hurts.

My Favorite Genres 1: Science Fiction

 

What are your favorites genres to read, watch, or hear?

We all have our favorite kinds of storytelling and our favorite ways to receive them. 

Me?  I like all three (read/watch/hear).  But what I prefer may vary from format to format.

Here are some of my favorites.  To voice some of your own, please comment here or on Facebook/Twitter, and/or go to my Facebook group, Polls R Us.

1) Science Fiction

No big surprise there. I like to read science fiction and watch on TV and the movies. Not big on science fiction audio or podcasts.

Science fiction is a very diverse field, with a wide variety of sub-genres. Some of my favorites -

Alternate History - omg, do I love this stuff!  It's probably my single most favorite thing to read.  Prominent examples include The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K Dick, The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth, multiple novels by Harry Turtledove.  Television shows that play with this theme that I love include Sliders, Fringe, Counterpart, Timeless, and Legends of Tomorrow.

Corollary themes to Alternate History include the Multiverse concept and time travel. Alternate histories may or may not include these ideas, but the main idea is to present a what-if imagining if history turned out differently.

Near Future -  I like stories that extrapolate where we may be going in the near future if certain trends/threads are followed.  Many of these are dystopian and/or cautionary, but they don't have to be.  I love classics like 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. One of my favorite books of all time is The Stand by Stephen King, with his vision of a world experiencing a deadly pandemic.  But I also like more optimistic visions of the future, including Star Trek.

Time Travel - wait! Didn't we already cover this one? Well, kind of.  But the bulk of time travel stories don't really try to tell alternate histories.  Some go to the future.  Some deal with more personal stories (Somewhere In Time, Time After Time).  Many are self-absorbed in time paradoxes.  The most annoying try to demonstrate how immutable and hard to change time is (11/22/63 by Stephen King).  I like some of these, but I like them less than the alternate histories.

Space Opera - large scale, melodramatic, epic scale, sometimes mythic in their structure.  The very best example is the Star Wars saga.  Often, they can have a western overtone, or at other times have similarities to high fantasy (things being centered on quests or versions of royal families).  They have to be well done for me to enjoy.

Hard Scifi - this is science fiction that bends over backward to suggest a scientific rationale for what it's doing.  Some examples I've read include Foundation by Issac Asimov, World War Z by Max Brooks, and Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.  Movies I've seen in this group include 2001:A Space Oddysey and The Martian (both also books).  I'm more selective with this group.  As a general rule, I don't pick these up unless the theme and/or author sound interesting to me.

First Contact - the aliens are here.  Sometimes for good, sometimes not. E. T.?  Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind? - two of the good kind.  V? Independence Day?  Alien?  Oh, just the start of the bad kind. Movies of this theme are legion!  My favorite is the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. "They're here!  You're next!"

Don't mess with Mother Nature/Science -  the first and one of the greatest works of this type is Frankenstein by Mark Shelley.  These range from atomic radiation monsters (Godzilla) to ecological disasters (Outbreak, Soylent Green), and can't forget the new rage - zombie movies/stories (once again - World War Z (hey, some of these overlap!), Night of the Living Zombies, and The Walking Dead.  Armageddon/apocalyptic themes abound here, but they can also be in the other subgenres, especially near future.

Military/War SciFi - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein.  That's about all I got.  Maybe the movie Enemy.  I would say that military SciFi is my least favorite kind.

Okay, I meant for this to cover more genres, but I got carried away.  It took me four separate writing sessions to get this far!

The solution?

I'll make this into a series!

Up next time - fantasy!

At a Crossroads: Saturday Political Soap Box 250

 

Well, here I am.  At my 250th Saturday Political Soap Box.  My aim was to discuss issues in a forum where people knew that it was going to get political right from the title, so if that wasn't their bag, man, they could skip it.

The goal wasn't to post scholarly articles, heavy with extensive research.  I simply don't have that kind of time, and I don't know what value it would bring.  Most believe what they're going to believe, regardless of the evidence put forward to them.

I don't put in a lot of links to different articles.  Again, not that kind of blog.  And links don't necessarily build your case.  Hell, I'm sure Qanon people use links...to God knows what, but I bet they use them.

This does not mean that I try to post falsehoods.  Most of what I post are opinions, but I do everything I can to make them fact-based.

Case in point:  Some people are sniping at the edges of the corroborated story that Trump disparaged World War I soldiers at the time of his scheduled visit to an important memorial ceremony, where he called them "losers' and "suckers."

Why the snipe?

Some noted that the story stated the reason he did not wind up attending was that he didn't want to mess up his hair in the rain and that it wasn't important to him to honor the American military dead in that way. Other sources indicated that the weather was such that a helicopter couldn't take off, and that's why he didn't go.

Big deal.  Both could be true.  He could have been mouthing off that he didn't want to go, and there may have been some kind of helicopter advisory.  They didn't try to drive, and he made no extraordinary efforts, efforts every other leader who showed up made, efforts that I fully believe every other President would have tried to make.

Every story has differences based on personal perspective.  Don't believe me?  Check the Gospels.  They have contradictions between the Gospel storytellers, and no Christian is stomping about saying they, therefore, are not true.

Some question the story because the multiple sources verifying what Trump said are anonymous.  Well, good golly, welcome to Journalism 101.  It's hard to find stories that don't have some anonymous sources.  Any ever hear of Watergate and Deep Throat?  It's the journalist's job to verify and confirm his sources.  So, here's a shocker - MOST JOURNALISTS ARE ETHICAL AND TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THIMG.  Most are still trying to follow the laws and ethics of journalism.

This story has been confirmed by multiple journalists and sources.  The Atlantic reporter who did this story, Jefferey Goldberg, is a qualified, dedicated journalist, who has a record of competence and caution.  And he is not an outlier.  The record of Trump's disdain for the military is long and clearly established, both in his public utterances and in journalist's stories that use both public and anonymous sources.

Some just don't like whatever news source a story comes from.  The Atlantic?  Liberal rag!  The Washington Post and the New York Times?  Anti-Trump hysterics! MSNBC and TYT?  Socialist mouthpieces!

Ok, how about Fox News?

Yes, Fox News.  They have also corroborated that Trump says disparaging things about our military vets, including things he said to disparage Vietnam Vets and what a waste it was to look for MIA soldiers.

It doesn't stop.  

I post again and again about the foul things Trump does, and it means nothing to his cadre of Trumpeteers.

If you look at the history of my Saturday Political Soap Box posts, you will see they have become sharper and more strident over time, less about issues, and more about character.  I have used the tag Trumpocalypse more times than I can count. My anti-Trump warnings go back to at least 2015.

No matter what happens, I know of very few people that have shifted in position.  People I know and care about refuse to get woke.

I'm depressed, and I'm sick of it, but I cannot stop trying.

Too much is at stake,

I must keep tilting at windmills.

Maybe soon, with the prayed for election of Biden/Harris, I can set aside the anger and vitriol, and concentrate on the issues important to us all - global warming, the income gap, public schools, systematic racism, universal health care - just to name a few.

I long for that day.  I really do.

History of the Trap Vol. 2 - Chapter One: Justice Trapped Part 3

 

3

 

I won’t dwell on the trial, Doctor Duncan.  I know I need to pick up the pace.  Soon, I will have to have my own trial, and you will want to know what to say about me at it. I realize what you have to say will be very important in how I’m prosecuted and what the outcome may be.   I should care what you decide, but I don’t.  Not really.  I just want to tell my story like I promised I would, and for you to leave everyone else alone like you promised you would.

Mark was convicted for his assault on Wilbur Jones.  He repudiated his confession to Lisa’s murder as a tactic to intimidate me.  “I was trying to get Lance to own up to his complicity in Lisa’s murder and find out what he was doing hanging out near the men’s locker room,” he stated at the trial.

Fortunately, even though there was not enough for a sure conviction of Mark for his other crimes, there was even less there for me to be credibly accused of them.

What about Robert Pelley, who was there in the locker room witnessing Mark's murder of  Mrs. Forsyth?  He claimed he wasn’t there.  After I ran out of the men’s athletic storage room, I had no idea what Robert Pelley did. I was too preoccupied with trying to save my own skin. 

He did not join Mark Granite in his pursuit of me, and Wilbur Jones and his friends did not see Robert.  There was no physical evidence to tie him to the scene, and Robert’s buddies, Walter Drayton and Stevey Tubbs, alibied him as tossing footballs near the football field during the time of the murder.

At the time, I was just happy that Mark Granite had been convicted of something.  His reign of terror was at an end.  Or so I thought.

 

Rockin' Flower Wednesday Wanderings; Keeping Your Distance 47

This is an artificial flower in Benjamin's study.  It rocks, sways back and forth 24/7.  I tried to upload a video that would show you this,  and I failed.  I couldn't figure out how to transfer it from my phone to the blog.   Probably if I gave it enough time I could figure it out...but, oh, well.  Not today.

So, trust me.  It be rockin'.

How are y'all feeling this glorious Wednesday?

Truth in numbers:

The number of reported cases in Georgia has been declining, looking at seven-day numbers.  The past three weeks have gone from 19,826 to 17,392 to 14,218.  I feel like this is due to - more mask-wearing in the state, and to fewer tests being administered.  There has not been a substantial decline in positivity rate, each day usually hovering between 10 and 8% - you need to get to below 5% for contact tracing to be effective.

The number of deaths has remained high, 498 to 426 to 476.  Deaths are a lagging indicator, so if cases continue to decline, maybe deaths will too.

Where are the cases?

Cases across the country, including Georgia, are increasing most at college campuses and public/private schools.  This is disturbing to me, as Benjamin's college is no exception.  The University fought valiantly, with mask and social distancing restrictions.  They have done a lot of things right.  BUT that did not stop them from developing hundreds of positive tests.  Students go off-campus and participate in large house parties and other crowded social events, without wearing masks or giving a damn about anyone else (no, Benjamin does not participate in these).  The college President has had to intervene and threaten those who participated with disciplinary action, including the possibility of suspension.  Since saying that, the number of positive cases at Georgia College has declined tremendously.

There are cases in public schools.  Alison's office has had positive cases, including one recently of someone who worked with her, assisting her department,  I am quite angry.  Why?  MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED AND NOT EVERY ONE WEARS ONE.  

Should schools be opened?  If the proper measures are taken, including mask-wearing, social distancing, and contact tracing, yes, I think it's worth trying.  THAT'S NOT WHAT MOST SCHOOLS IN THIS AREA ARE DOING

I am so angry at the anti-maskers right now.  I can't even begin to articulate it without losing control of my emotions.

Well, we're all going to get it eventually

You've got to be kidding me.  That's the attitude of some around me, and it's disgusting.

You really want to shoot for herd immunity and leave some TWO MILLION Americans dead?  

You really want to risk that many people on a strategy that may not work because we know NOTHING about reinfection or how long immunity may last?

Yes, it's true.  Many get mild symptoms.  80% or more never have to go to the hospital.  And of those, only a fraction go to ICU.  And 2 to 4% who contract the virus die.  Are those acceptable numbers to you?  

I mean, really.  Are you a Vegas gambler?  Maybe you can play the odds.  Maybe your family will get it and they'll all be mild cases.  Is that what you're willing to do?

ARE YOU WILLING TO PLAY COVID-ROULETTE WITH YOUR FAMILY'S LIVES???

Let me answer for myself - 

Hell No!

Double Triple Hell No!

But I don't get a choice.  Alison and Benjamin are both subject to whatever anti-masker covidiot that comes near them.

I hate their attitude - Do not interfere with my right to infect you!

I apologize. I meant to cover more topics.  It's just hard to do when the lives of your family members are at stake.

Special for the OHC Writer's Guild

 I regret to inform you that I am resigning from any leadership position in the OHC Writer's Guild.

This is a recognition of an already undergoing reality.  I have not led well for quite some time, and I do not want my lack of proper leadership to further hurt the organization.

I do not wish to the Guild disappear, but I don't think I'm the proper person to guide the group to better health,

I would like to continue as a regular member and assist where I can, but I can no longer be in charge of arranging meetings, and in leading those meetings.

I am passionate about writing and look forward to sharing my writings, and reading/helping with other writers.

If you wish to take the reigns of leadership, please see Carla Cornett King, Executive Director of the OHC.  You may wish to also coordinate with the Waycross Ware County Library.

I love you all,  Starting this up and working with the group has been one of the great joys of my life.

Sincerely,

Tom Strait