Troubled Waters

For the last two weeks, I was on a cruise ship, traveling the rather calm waters of the North Atlantic and the St. Lawrence River. However, back home, I continued to see the deleterious effects of the tsunami that is Trump.

I spoke to a few Canadians on the cruise who asked me: “How is Donald Trump still president? And how did you Americans allow—and keep allowing—Trump to be president?”

As one travels through Canada, one senses a certain civility and calmness among the population, seemingly satisfied with its leadership, culture and government.

Normalcy!

I’d be hard-pressed to think of many Republicans who deserve to be reelected—or elected in the first place—particularly in the House of Representatives. As far as I am concerned, most of them are cowards.

I don’t believe in the polls. I have been sorely disappointed by what I expected in 2016 and 2024. The only way I will be happy with the results of the 2026 elections is if the Democrats control both the House and the Senate. I am not sure that this will necessarily save the state of our union, but maybe it will at least limit the clown show currently performing.

I’m pretty sure that the last chance to save the country occurred in November 2024. So much damage has been done, and much of it may be unrecoverable—especially when it comes to the trust we once had with our allies and neighbors.

That’s gone for decades!

I’m stunned that Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister and, in my opinion, one of the least capable candidates for elective office, is leading in the polls for the South Carolina Senate race. Yeah, I know. It’s South Carolina!

It’s also concerning that James Talarico does not have a 20-point lead in the Texas Senate race over Ken Paxton.

Yeah, I know. It’s Texas!

I’m still waiting for the press to make a demonstrable stand against the White House—and, in particular, against the administration’s exclusion of CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. Trump announced on September 18 that he was banning the three organizations from the White House, and the following day reporters from all three were denied access, with press credentials being deactivated or confiscated.

Just to be spiteful, why don’t these news outlets document the many lies and false claims of the Trump administration? It’s probably a more useful exercise than actually covering stories from Trump or any of his Cabinet.

I’m not sure what they can do to limit appearances or interviews with Republican candidates or officials, but I would sure as hell make it very uncomfortable for any of them to come on those venues without having to answer questions about their views on freedom of the press.

I confess that I get most of my news from so-called liberal or mainstream media. Every now and then, I take a quick peek at Fox News. I don’t do it for long, as my brain cells begin to decline within minutes of listening to any of their news or programming.

One would think that a network that incurred millions of dollars in legal liabilities over its coverage of the 2020 election would have a little more humility.

A researcher from Anthropic recently warned that AI could destroy humanity by the end of the decade. Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment-science lead, said he personally believes there is a greater-than-10% chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

I wish that the huge concern and apprehension about this possible event four years from now could somehow be translated into more immediate concern about how our inept president could create a lot of economic and financial damage within the next year.

Maybe four months.

Maybe four days?

Aphorisms with a Sly Eye

In an age when many natural resources are becoming scarce, humanity will never run short of excuses.

Imagination slows as technology grows.

In the age of AI, seeing is no longer believing.

A younger woman often serves as an energy charge to the dying battery of an older man.

Giving advice to someone in their 70s is like offering money to a billionaire, kind gesture but rarely necessary.

Leeches heal in medicine… steal in politics.

Investing without risk may be the greatest investment risk of all.

Tanking the Republic

“Tanking” is all the rage in the NBA. It is the calculated decision to stop pretending to compete today in order to improve tomorrow. Lose now, draft later, and pray for salvation in the lottery.

It is hard to avoid the suspicion that the American electorate has adopted a similar strategy. Our current executive, legislative, and judicial rosters show little evidence of being built to win. Perhaps, collectively, we have decided to bottom out in the standings and hope for a better draft class in some future season.

The nation’s most serious intelligence failure is not occurring in a foreign capital; it is the chronic absence of intelligence—judgment, knowledge, and expertise—among too many who hold high office. At precisely the moment when we require leaders capable of navigating artificial intelligence, climate disruption, geopolitical instability, and the inevitability of another pandemic, the bench has been cleared of the studious and the competent. In their place stand political improvisers, confidently winging it.

The much-discussed Epstein files, said to number in the millions of pages, have become a Rorschach test for institutional credibility. In the popular imagination, their handling has elevated cynicism to an Olympic sport. Watergate, once the gold standard of scandal, now risks being remembered as a procedural misdemeanor—a historical jaywalking citation.

One is tempted—half seriously, half in despair—to suggest turning the whole archive over to artificial intelligence. Let the machines do what our bureaucracies cannot: sort the evidence, connect the names, and identify conduct worthy of prosecution. It would be an ironic triumph if algorithms proved more diligent custodians of justice than the institutions designed for that purpose.

Meanwhile, scandal behaves less like a series of discrete events and more like a metastatic disease, radiating outward from Washington, weakening already fragile civic tissue. The body politic coughs politely while the infection spreads.

Political commentary, however eloquent, feels increasingly like prescribing lozenges for a structural fracture. Words—mine included—are no match for a system that rewards performance over competence and outrage over understanding.

As for last week’s congressional theatrics, one could not help but notice the Attorney General auditioning for a post-government career in the insult-comedy circuit. If the aspiration is to channel Don Rickles, the material requires sharpening and the timing considerable work. Even Mencken, patron saint of American skepticism, understood that ridicule is most effective when it is both precise and economical.

In the meantime, the republic appears committed to playing out the season with a depleted roster, a distracted coaching staff, and a fan base divided between those booing, those cheering, and those already studying next year’s draft prospects.

2024 Predictions

Alabama will win the National Collegiate Football championship beating Texas. Jim Harbaugh will resign as Michigan coach and become a NFL coach (San Diego).
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No Kansas City – Philadelphia reprise for 2024 Super Bowl. 2024 Super Bowl will be Baltimore vs. Detroit. Baltimore will win 38-17.
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Kentucky will beat Kansas in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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No Biden – Trump reprise in November 2024. Biden will withdraw from race. Due to legal issues, Trump will also withdraw but will receive conditional pardon.
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Both parties will choose current elected and active governors. Republicans will not choose Ron DeSantis.
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Ukraine-Russia war winds down to negotiated cease fire by May 2024.

U.S. needs to act militarily to aid in Israel’s defense. Benjamin Netanyahu replaced. Very few additional hostages released or located.
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AI serves as a very effective propaganda and distortion tool in 2024 elections. Many voters are duped to believe just about anything to support their narratives and beliefs about politics.
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Twitter goes dark in 2024 due to loss of advertisers, disinterest by members and huge operating losses that Musk no longer wants to fund.
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Taylor Swift will not marry Travis Kelce.
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76ers make Eastern Conference Finals but lose.

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In The Year 2025…

I see future education primarily consisting of teaching most students how to use AI. No worries about grades, reading and math proficiency, honor rolls or SAT scores. AI will act as the support system to help students know, think and choose similar to a ventilator assisting with breathing.