Civil War??

I’d say this analysis from outside the United States and about the United States is dead on and reflects my thinking about the end of the American dream. I don’t think things will change, certainly not for the better. My sense is that there will be a “Civil War” in this country and it probably has already started.

The United States is a dangerously volatile country. There has always been a palpable element of derangement in its social order. It has a record of assassinations and attempted assassinations, and a perennial problem with violent crime which is matched by almost no other first world country. But what is happening now feels different: apocalyptic and inexorable. And the reason it cannot be stopped is that the people, both the population at large and those who are supposed to be in charge, do not want it to stop whatever they may claim.

If they sincerely wanted to put an end to it, they could do so in a moment of reasonable consensus. But they have consistently resisted any attempt to enforce standards or controls on the virulent social media activity which is undermining the real freedoms they revere. So the tide of what would once have been called “extremism” – the incitement of violence and the perpetration of blind hatred – are now the accepted currency of political discourse.

Janet Dailey The American Dream is ending in a Psychotic Breakdown The Telegraph

From Sunlight to Shadows

At 73, this Labor Day weekend makes me wonder: How many summers do I have left?

I don’t miss the heat or humidity of summer. I miss the sunlight—the early sunrises, the lingering evenings. A metaphor, perhaps, for life’s stages.

Leisure reading is fading. Only 16% of Americans read regularly for pleasure—down from 28% in 2003. In the UK, just 41% of parents read daily to toddlers, compared with 64% in 2012.

I wandered into a Barnes & Noble last week, my first visit in over a year. Chairs and cozy nooks were gone—B&N is all business now. I left without a book. Even their sale couldn’t entice me; I balk at paying more than $20 for a hardcover.

On my nightstand:

King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution—A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation by Scott Anderson
Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels

Haruki Murakami once wrote:

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

Mortality hovers. I don’t fear death, but I do fear dying. Sometimes I feel like a man with his head beneath a guillotine, staring at the blade. I’ve been fortunate with health, but around me I see friends whose luck has run out. The blade will fall on me too.

Meanwhile, the U.S. falters. Ineptitude, cowardice, hubris—displayed daily. A recent New York Times photo showed India’s Modi with Putin and Xi, a tableau of shifting power. It captured the failure of American diplomacy and leadership. One man bears much of the blame: Donald Trump. As summer declines, so does America as it retreats further into the darkness.

I Don’t Get It….?

House Republicans Move to Rename Kennedy Center Opera House After Melania Trump. Why? This woman has as much interest in being first lady as she does in spending any meaningful time with her husband. I can’ t think of any remote contribution that Melania Trump has made to the Arts, the Theater or Entertainment to deserve that type of recognition.

French President Macron Files Lawsuit Against Candace Owens for Repeatedly Claiming His Wife Is a Man. Again why? I would advise any Europeans or people outside the United States to largely ignore the gross insanity of our political culture, comportment and chaos. Why give this woman any platform or notoriety for her ridiculous charges?

The extent of the furor and mockery about the “Coldplay couple” canoodling at a concert and getting caught. The Astronomer CEO immediately retired or was fired, depending on what story you believe. However, we have a president whose conduct was even worse (with even more to come?) and yet there is no outrage about him still holding office.

Regrettably the shame committed by the CEO and HR director is going to be shared with their spouses and even worse, their young children. Maybe we should consider terminating all the parodies and skits that most of us have found funny just out of respect for their kids.

Greg Gutfeld of Fox News? I’ve seen brief snippets of his show and also some of his appearances on The Five. I don’t find him funny or relevant. Gutfeld is not an H.L. Mencken, he’s not even Dennis Miller.

This is the Week That Was

I’m amused by Trump’s reluctance to release the Epstein files—as if there’s anything left that could truly shock us. His behavior has long been an open book. At this point, what more could possibly lower public opinion of him?

Replace Jerome Powell as head of the Federal Reserve? Makes about as much sense as firing the fire department while a building is still on fire.

The CEO and the HR Director of Astronomer were caught on a kiss cam in a romantic embrace at a Coldplay concert. The CEO is married with children and the HR Director is recently divorced. Due to the public and rather unusual nature of the disclosure of the relationship, this story is all over social media and other news outlets. My guess is that the HR Director will either resign or be let go but that the CEO will keep his job after publicly confessing his infidelities and promising to reform.

Though I’m not a late-night viewer at my age, I recognize that some of the sharpest political and social commentary in recent years has come from the desks of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and especially Jimmy Kimmel. The upcoming end of The Late Show with Colbert marks more than just the close of a program—it signals the fading of a cultural force that once helped us laugh through the chaos.

Weekend Update

Chief Justice Urges Political Leaders to Tone Down Rhetoric Chief Justice’s admonition to political leaders has as much chance as happening as he and the rest of the Supreme Court showing spine and good impartial judgment.

Alzheimer’s research in peril. Will Trump budget cuts set progress back by decades? President Trump wants to cut the budget of the National Institutes of Health by 40%. I would think that a man approaching 80 years of age and reputedly evidencing signs of dementia would want enormous amounts of money directed to finding a cure or treatment and quickly. For all the 65 and over voters who voted for Trump last year, here is what your support is getting you – – the possibility of a horrible ending of your life. If you have ever had a family member or friend who had Alzheimer’s, you realize how tragic and devastating this disease is.

Catholic Bishops Try to Rally Opposition to Trump’s Immigration Agenda President Trump got 64% of the white Catholic vote as many bishops and priests urged support for him primarily to overturn Roe v. Wade. My admonition to the bishops: you reap what you sow. Too late now that the Trump Genie is out of the bottle. Your support helped uncap the bottle.

Elon Musk rips into ‘utterly insane’ Trump-backed megabill.Buyer’s remorse! Guess Elon is not happy with his return on investment?

What I Like; What I Get (Headlines)

Politicisms (not so polite)

Earth grows hotter by nature, and colder by nurture.

Reason whispers, but influence now belongs to whoever shouts longest and loudest.

Democracy collapses not with a fight, but with a shrug and a spineless back.

If cowardice was our currency, there would be no national debt.

Washington belies the adage that old age brings wisdom.

You can’t fight today’s demons with the dulled swords of polite politics.

In Christ’s time, 30 pieces of silver, today a meme coin to buy a man’s soul.

Religion used to console the broken—now it emboldens and supports the breakers.

Our national IQ is falling faster than memberships for Kennedy Center events.

Discouraging or expelling foreign college and graduate students is akin to expelling firemen from a growing fire.

A nation in the pall of dementia—its people adrift, having forgotten their roots, their history, their purpose, and their friends.

Amateur Hour in America

I’m waiting patiently to see this generation’s Edward R. Murrow in media and the press.

***

I have already seen this Administration’s Joe McCarthys.

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However there are a few “profiles in courage”…For example, Hagan Scotten told Justice Department officials that he would not be party to a political prosecution (below)….

But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.

Hagan Scotten, Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York

***

When Trump offered the severance package to federal employees, I did not realize that just about all of Congress decided to cash in and abandon their responsibilities too.

***

When Associated Press was denied access to the White House press room I was disappointed other media members did not walk out to show their support.

***

Just a thought, but a long moratorium on reporting news about this Administration and members would be mentally healthy for this country.

***

Appropriate Aphorisms for Our Times

“A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.”

— Bertrand de Jouvenel

“Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.”

— Robert Orben

“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”

— George Bernard Shaw

A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings by Peggy Noonan (Book Review)

Peggy Noonan is one of the very few Republicans with whom I feel I could sit down and have a civil conversation about politics, history, and current events. My belief is affirmed after reading her book, A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings, a collection of recent commentaries on politics, personalities, culture, and contemporary issues. Her writing is measured, thoughtful, and often insightful.

For instance, in a column written in 2019, Noonan offered advice to Joe Biden, attempting to dissuade him from running for president in 2020. Her words, in hindsight, appear not only as good counsel but also as prophetic given Biden’s mixed success as president:

“Your very strength – that you enjoy talking to both sides, that deep in your heart you see no one as deplorable – will be your weakness. You aren’t enough of a warrior. You’re sweet, you’re weak, you’re half daffy. You’re meh.”

Noonan stands as an outlier within the Republican Party. Her style of writing seeks to inform, inspire, and not inflame. She is no supporter of Trump. Even her criticism of Trump’s antics and leadership is measured—acerbic yet never descending into vitriol.

One passage in particular may encapsulate her sharp perspective on America’s present and future trajectory:

“In time, we’ll see you lose something when you go post-heroic. Colorful characters will make things more divided, not less. They’ll entertain, but not ennoble. And the world will think less of us – America has become a clownish, unserious country with clownish, unserious leaders – which will have an impact on our ability to influence events.”

This observation feels prescient and poignant, capturing a sense of national disquiet. Unfortunately, not enough Americans shared this view during the last election. Perhaps Noonan could have lent her rhetorical skills to Kamala Harris and the Democrats to sharpen their messaging.

While I don’t agree with all her views—for instance, I’m not as enamored with Billy Graham or Ronald Reagan as she is—I respect her opinions. Her prose is engaging, and the short commentaries, originally published in The Wall Street Journal, make for an easy yet thought-provoking read.

Notes and Asides : Potty Mouths and Pickleball

There can’t be many more stressful and thankless jobs than being the Director of the U.S. Secret Service. Kimberly Cheadle resigned from the job after dodging more bullets from a House Committee meeting yesterday than John Wick running through a gauntlet of assassins. Members of both political parties set their sights on Ms. Cheadle and took their best shots. There also have been complaints about the women who are on Trump’s secret service detail. They were accused of being too small in stature and one female agent was shown having difficutly in unholstering her gun. Best of luck finding a successor in taking a job where any misstep or failure in a very volatile political and violence prone country will get you ridiculed and fired no matter how diligent you and your associates perform.

I thought that having women in high elective office would elevate the national conversation and promote civility. Boy, was I wrong!. Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene among others (usually Republican women) have mouths that would embarrass a trucker, rapper or biker.

If you want to guarantee a solid workout playing pickleball, then either play singles or play with a hand-picked group of like-skilled players in a competitive landscape. Do not just go to the park and play 2 hours of pickup and expect it to be a great workout.
The Workout Value Of Pickleball Compared To Other Racquet Sports
Forbes · by Todd Boss · July 22, 2024

I think that the author of the referenced quote did not take into account the age and physical condition of the player. I would agree that for a 20 or 30 year-old, two hours of recreational Pickleball doubles would not be a very good workout. But for someone who is in their 60s or 70s, it constitutes a very good workout.