Goliath and the Golf Ball

Sitting by the Levy of Imagination

What was your favorite toy growing up?

I sure loved my James Bond Attache case, loaded with weapons, secret compartments, and coded messages.

I'll never forget my Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent, a hand puppet with a pull string for random sayings like, "I'm coming, Beanie!"  Of course, mine was extra special because it malfunctioned with "Tastes like chicken" and said...something else.

Leading my toy brigade, however, has to be our toy showboat.  Was it mine?  Was it my sister's?  Was it a shared toy.  I don't remember, but I do know that I was mesmerized by it.  It had all the stuff to put on great shows.  The curtain would go up, and Tom Strait would light up.

Some shows were straightforward, as best as I could remember them.  But the best were the ones fired from the recesses of my fractured brain.  Heidi vs. The Cowardly Lion!  Pinocchio takes Cinderella to the Ball!

There were made up songs!  We're Off to See the Wizard Climb Every Mountain!  I Got No Strings Don't Look at my Hand!  Somewhere Over the Alps!  Well... these are just theoretical examples.  I never have been very good at remembering song lyrics, so I'm sure they were some mashed up messes.

For my sister and me, the showboat concept was not just theoretical.  A small town near us was famous for its summertime Showboat. Yes, the ol' Chesaning Showboat!

Come one!  Come all!  To the greatest show on water!

I don't know how often we went, but it was enough to inspire me, and make that toy showboat extra special!

Is it what inspires me to later take up theatre as my number one hobby?  I'm sure it was part of it.  I was an inveterate storyteller pretty much since birth, but this was an important outlet and inspiration for me. It gave me the tools to act AND make up my own stories.

Sadly, in searching for pictures of the Chesaning Showboat, I found out its time had come to an end.  Shows stopped in 2013, and in 2015, the boat was sold for $50 and dismantled.

The toy showboat has long since disappeared.  My sister and I lost interest, and my mother must have disposed of it somewhere along the line.

The showboat may be gone, but the memories are still there.  It would be nice whenever I have grandchildren, to find one of those old showboats, and share it with them.  Yeah, they'd find it very strange, but nevertheless, it will feel good to connect with the past and to fire up their imagination.

Who knows?  Maybe it will inspire a future Strait in their storytelling, and they'll get as much or more joy out of writing/acting/performing as I have!

Sit down at our make-believe levy, and marvel as the curtain to imagination rises.

It's Showboat Time!

Speculatron Foolishness in the COVID-19 Era: Saturday Political Soap Box 246

I haven't done a speculatron in a while, even with an election approaching.  It seems kind of foolish in the COVID-19 era to try to predict our political future.  It's also hard to do but look with jaw-dropped horror how low Trump can go and still garner support from anyone, anywhere.

Well, I'll give it a try, anyways.  Sometimes, my middle name is foolishness, so..here it goes - 

Who will Biden pick as his running mate?

I don't care.  There's no one on that above list, or any list I've seen who I can't get behind and enthusiastically support.  He's going to pick a woman.  And he has a plethora of good, viable candidates to pick from.

He needs to pick someone he can work with, assign responsibilities to, whose advice he can rely on, who can step in and be President at a moment's notice.

SMART MONEY:  Senator Kamala Harris of California.  She's tough and experienced, a good debater, and a practical legislator.  Her name and record, and ability to generate support, including financial is proven.

NEW MONEY:  Karen Bass, Congresswoman from California.  Not as much is as known about her as some of the others, but she was Speaker of the California State Assembly, a substantial position in a state and economy larger than most nations on Earth.  She is currently chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

SIDE MONEY:  Susan Rice, Former UN Ambassador, and National Security Expert.  Super intelligent, and someone who works well with Biden.

BEST MONEY:  Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts.  There is no one in the country more qualified and better able to work as Vice President than Elizabeth or to step into the Presidency if needed.  Since dropping out, she and Biden have gotten along very well and have used her to help in policy formation.

So who it will be?  I don't know.  As far as I'm concerned, he can't go wrong.  The frontrunner is Senator Harris, but I think any of those pictured are possible.

Who will win the election?

Ok, let me get down on my hands and knees for this one.

It better be Biden.  I can't picture what this country or planet will be like if Trump continues in office.

At this point, here's my prediction:

Biden 56%, Trump 42%, Others 2%

I'm too lazy to work out the Electoral College Map right now - maybe in a later post - but in general, I think Biden will exceed 400 Electoral College votes.  His win will be larger than even Obama's were, but not quite as large as '72 Nixon (520 to 17) or '84 Reagan (523 to 13).

You would think that would be enough to make me happy.  But, no.  I am ashamed that there is anyone in this country who would consider voting for Trump.  I don't care how conservative you are, or how much you hate the "libtards." Trump is not a fit leader.  He is not a decent human being.  

Who will win the Senate?

I'd love to think a landslide of the level of what I'm expecting would be enough to pull along the Senate, but people are strange.  So I'm not sure.  Without a race by race analysis, my gut instinct is...

Democrats (including Independents who caucus with them) 52, Republicans (including whatever the hell Rand Paul is) 48.

Democrats will retain the house.  The margin may change a few votes, plus or minus, but the Democrats will retain control.

What will Trump do if he loses the election?

Here's where my opinion diverges from most others.

He may or may not try to hold onto power.  If he does, he will fail.

What he will do is resign from office, probably before Thanksgiving.  Why?  Because President Pence will then grant him what every turkey wants at Thanksgiving - a full pardon.

If he's still hounded by state or local prosecution, he might have a deluxe suite waiting for him in Moscow. 

He will invest heavily in Trump TV, broadcasting his lunacy to his small but rabid base.  He will, with his buddies (foreign and domestic) take over the OAN network (One America News Network).

He will remain an irritating but less relevant voice.

The good news is, though -

He won't be in power anymore.

And a majority of Americans will remember what it was like when he was.

Not So Far Away Vacay: Keeping Your Distance 43

This year, our vacation is not taking us far away.  Indeed, that is a picture of me on the back porch, book in hand, dog in lap.

Like many, summer vacation plans have evaporated.  We had hoped to go to Michigan, but the coronavirus made that impossible.  It would have been a delight to see my sister and Mike, and my niece and nephew, and a whole passel of trend nieces and a grand nephew.  It would have also been grand to visit one of my favorite places on Earth, Traverse City (thanks to Covid-19, the closest I will get to Traverse City is the t-shirt I am wearing).

In a couple weeks, we will be taking Benjamin up to Milledgeville to start his semester at Georgia College & State University.  Yes, as of this moment, that is still on.  The start of public schools, from Kindergarten to University, is fraught with peril, as cases are still peaking in Georgia.

If things settle done by late Fall, Alison and I hope to take a trip to Northern Georgia.  That's a big if, but we're hoping.

And if things REALLY turn around, we hope to reschedule our trip to Michigan.  And later, Alison and I are hoping to make a leisurely trip to New England. 

Until then,  I'm happy on our porch.  I'm currently reading Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin, that highlights the leadership growth in four of our Presidents (more on this in a separate post). But never fear.  I have more than two dozen unread books to follow up with.

Another spoiler - I am not really on vacation, staycation or otherwise.  I'm still going into work, but only a few hours each week.  It's hard to stay entirely away if you're in town.  And Alison is working a full schedule, as they are preparing for the start of school.

We are still very much in crisis in the state of Georgia.  We could have been over the worst weeks ago, had we truly shut down.  We did not.  There was a very partial shut down for a couple of weeks, followed by a full return, and we are now paying the price.

I'm going to be alright.  Nothing is 100% certain about avoiding COVID-19, but we are doing our best.  We wear masks.  We socially distance.  I have my books and my writing, a part-time job where the environment is controlled, my pets, a wonderful family. 

Now, if you will excuse me, please.  I have a stack of books calling my name.

Stay safe.  Vote Biden.  We will see this through.

Georgia By the Numbers 4: Keeping Your Distance 42

Seriously gonna have to rethink this each three-week update in a different color thing.  I'm running out of colors that show up clear enough to read,

People are wondering.

Are we anywhere back to normal?

Honestly, I think only the most delusional are asking that now.  Although, many are acting like this is over, or buying into the conspiracy theories that the death of 150,000 is just overblown.

Update:  Where have we gone in the three weeks since I Posted the third Georgia by the numbers?

People are starting to press.  No one in my area is pressing anymore.  THEY'RE JUST GOING OUT - FEW MASKS, LITTLE TO NO SOCIAL DISATANCING.  Some businesses (e.g., Kroger, Wally World) have gone to masks required status, and in those places, I see many more masks BUT NOT COMPLETE COMPLIANCE.

When can we go to a restaurant?  Based on the crowds I see, people are going NOW.  This remains true.  

When can we be in a play, or attend one?  WACT put on a play in for late June.  I don't know any right now, although one WACT has scheduled in the Fall is one I'd very much like to be in, but won't in the current environment.

 When can we go to church? Some, but not all, have opened up. My church is still closed, but it is now the exception rather than the rule.  We have established extensive guidelines for what we do when we come back. As of now, our standards are in place, and we have prepared for re-opening, but have not gone beyond online services yet.

When can we hold in-person meetings of our favorite clubs and organizations? I'm not sure about this one - I think most people are still doing ZOOM.  Given the scheduled Trump rally Saturday, I'm glad I don't live in Tulsa.  Not to mention his indoor performance in an Arizona mega-church and his race-baiting speech at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. HOWEVER, we're close to Jacksonville and the scheduled Republican convention.  Oy.  There is now some queasiness bout holding that convention as Florida's numbers have skyrocketed.  At a minimum, masks may be required, and that does not sit well with Captain Bone Spurs.  Stunningly, the narcissist-in-chief has backed down and canceled the Jacksonville portion of the Republican convention.  Do you know how bad things must be for him to do that?  Well, apparently still not bad enough to stop him from pushing schools to re-open.

Some of these and related questions have been answered by Governor Kemp - sure!  Go ahead and do it!  After all, things are getting better here in Georgia!  Kemp has a few common-sense rules, but they are widely ignored.  Lately, Secretary of State who Referee-ed his way to becoming Governor Kemp, has made pro-mask noses. Still, there is no mandate to require them, as the culture war cry continues to howl - I HAVE THE PERSONAL LIBERTY TO RISK MAKING YOU SICK!  MY PERSONAL LIBERTY TRUMPS (!) PUBLIC HEALTH!!!  Nothing's changed here except Kemp suing the Mayor of Atlanta for daring to have a mask-required policy.

Well...

Are they?

Have we had 14 days of declining numbers, as the CDC suggests?

All I can go by is the Georgia Dept of Health numbers, updated three times a day.  Honestly, they may not be the most trustworthy numbers.  There have been press reports that suggest that Georgia and Florida have been manipulating and/or suppressing data to make their states look like they're recovering.

That may be true, but let's just take the Georgia Department of Health numbers and see what the state itself is reporting.

I've looked at seven-day accumulations, starting with May 5th, in two categories, confirmed cases and the number of deaths.  Results are summarized below -


                                                   Confirmed Cases                    Confirmed Deaths

May 5 - 11                                       4,565                                          198

May 12 - 18                                     4,281                                          205

May 19 - 25                                     5,117                                          199

May 26th - June 1st 4,499                                          241

June 2nd - June 8th 4,598                                          119

June 9th - June 15th 5,917                                          286  
             
June 16th - June 22nd 7,514                                          154

June 23rd - June 29th 13,489                                         136

June 30th - July 6th 17,647                                          94

July 7th - July 13th 23,505                                          148

July 14th - July 20th 25,006                                          150

July 21st - July 27th 25,268                                          333 


 The increase in numbers in the most recent week looks very ominous.  The rise everyone feared is here, but everyone around me still acts like it's over.  The numbers keep rising, and some around are beginning to wonder, but many still spout conspiracy theories.

Cases have skyrocketed.  The most recent week is about three times greater than three weeks ago.  Deaths have not.  Why?  We have to be careful not to presume too much.  It could be that hospitals and doctors have learned more and are getting better at mitigating the worst.  It could be that younger people are getting COVID-19 in more significant numbers, and have a better survival rate.  It could just be a lagging indicator- it takes two to three weeks to see the full effect from current cases.  We don't know.  Only time will tell.

I am very sorry to report that time has told.  Deaths are rising.  I wish it was otherwise.  


And then came the Fourth of July Weekend.  A massive nationwide orgy of misbehavior.  What will be the effects of that?

 I'll let you know in two to three weeks.  Tragically, I think the numbers have answered that.

The verdict is in.  Cases are rising in most states, especially in the South and Sunbelt.  And continue to, with Florida leading the deadly parade.

The President has suggested that the way to beat this is to simply stop testing.

So, the major question is...

Why do I still have friends who support Bunker Boy?  For me, this still remains the central question of our times.  I am not comforted by the polls showing Biden with a double-digit lead.  I honestly feel, with all my heart and soul, that there should be no one left supporting Trump.  NO ONE.


Orginal Georgia by the Numbers comments in black.  Georgia by the Numbers #2 comments in red.  Georgia by the Numbers #3 comments in blue.  Georgia by the Numbers #4 in...whatever this color is...brown, purple, I can't tell.

If this keeps up, I'm gonna run out of colors.  Yeah, right now I'm down to the mystery colors.

The Portland Rorschach Test: Saturday Political Soap Box 245

It's the ultimate political Rorshach test.

What the hell is going on in Portland?

What we see may depend on our own biases and media filters.

The above shows a veteran who asks questions of the unidentified federal forces and winds up getting attacked, pepper-sprayed and has hand broken.  He never makes any aggressive moves.  He only questions their constitutional authority.

I don't know what my friends on the other side of the cultural divide see.  Maybe they don't see this at all.  Maybe it is presented to them in an entirely different context.

Some see the federal (?) agents as heroes, preventing a descent into chaos and rioting violence.  They value monuments and buildings more than human lives.

They don't seem concerned that the federal agents are unidentified (some may actually be members of private security forces or militias).  It doesn't bother them that protestors are swooped up in unidentified vehicles and taken to God knows where for God knows what.

Portland protests were centered into a two-block area.  They might have been disturbing to some, but they were relatively controlled, and as much a celebration as a protest.

But that is not what my Trumpeteer friends are seeing.  They see toppled statues and burned buildings.  They see groups who are bent on the destruction of America, and who plan on marching out to the suburbs and doing...Ok, I lose it there.  I don't know what they think is going to happen.  That's too far down the irrational rabbit hole for me.

Their media is flooded with images, and it seems that they are the opposite of what I see.  Notice in the one above that the question asked is heavily loaded.  They assume the protests are violent enough to demand federal intervention.

Referring back to last Saturday's Political Soap Box, conservatives no longer believe in small government.  They only believe in power.  They have no qualms about bypassing local authorities and state government,  The only parts of the government that matter are those controlled by Trumpeteers.

Unlike the 50s and 60s, the federal government is not coming to defend the civil rights of citizens within a state or community.  They are not trying to get anyone into a school where they have been barred because of the color of their skin.  They are not investigating the murders of civil rights advocated.  

They are coming in, against the wishes of the local and state authorities, WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION, and sowing chaos and violence in one of our great American cities.  A fresh, vibrant, friendly city that my family visited just a few years ago.  A city that my son, Benjamin, is in love with and may want to move to someday.

And I don't care what Rorschach test you go through.  I don't care how your news is filtered.

This is never right.

NEVER

Story Time With Mr. Tom #4