Complicity, n. The state of being an accomplice; participation in guilt. Congressional Republicans, being in power is nice, isn’t it? With power, it also comes with a responsibility to the Republic. It’s time you own this now. Here are the list of things you should be investigating. Trump and his associates’ Russian ties: Flynn’s call being the latest example Trump’s tax returns: Need I say more here? more »
After three weeks, we start to see the level of incompetence of this new administration. And no, it’s not just incompetence. Pure notes of corruption and autocratic inclinations are there too. Trump is using his Mar-a-Lago Club to host Japan PM Shinzo Abe. This is money that’s directly flowing into Trump Org’s pockets from the tax payers. If this isn’t open corruption, what is? This CNN report “At Mar-a-Lago, Trump tackles crisis diplomacy at close range” has so many maddening nuggets. more »
Today, a friend asked about how we approach our retirement investment. I have a personal strategy, but it’s never written down and I can’t think of anything to point someone to. So here it is. It will be a nice thing to have in a few years when I review it.
more »Born a Crime by Trevor Noah This book came to me via a recommendation. I was not ready for the emotional roller-coaster this has taken me on. Trevor’s writing masterfully intermingle stories that makes you sad, happy, and uplifted. Often interwoven together, I am constantly surprised by the turn of his life. It’s a book of stories from his childhood but reads like a novel. The audiobook version is extremely good. more »
The United States is extremely lucky that no honest, charismatic figure has arisen.
Every charismatic figure is such an obvious crook that he destroys himself, like McCarthy or Nixon or the evangelist preachers. If somebody comes along who is charismatic and honest this country is in real trouble because of the frustration, disillusionment, the justified anger and the absence of any coherent response. What are people supposed to think if someone says ‘I have got an answer, we have an enemy’? There it was the Jews. Here it will be the illegal immigrants and the blacks. We will be told that white males are a persecuted minority. We will be told we have to defend ourselves and the honor of the nation. Military force will be exalted. People will be beaten up. This could become an overwhelming force. And if it happens it will be more dangerous than Germany. The United States is the world power. Germany was powerful but had more powerful antagonists. I don’t think all this is very far away. If the polls are accurate it is not the Republicans but the right-wing Republicans, the crazed Republicans, who will sweep the next election.
I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime.
I am old enough to remember the 1930s. My whole family was unemployed. There were far more desperate conditions than today. But it was hopeful. People had hope. The CIO was organizing. No one wants to say it anymore but the Communist Party was the spearhead for labor and civil rights organizing. Even things like giving my unemployed seamstress aunt a week in the country. It was a life. There is nothing like that now. The mood of the country is frightening. The level of anger, frustration and hatred of institutions is not organized in a constructive way. It is going off into self-destructive fantasies.
Noam Chomsky - Interview with Chris Hedges (2010!)
Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation by Ken Liu (Editor & Translator) Hard to find the original Chinese versions of the short stories in this book, so I’m left to read the translations. I’m pretty impressed by the translations. Ken Liu does a great job of adapting it for the English language. Many of the stories are distinctly Chinese in flavor and many are dystopian in nature. Slightly surprised at them being published in China. more »
So we need to treat the next 4 years (maybe) as a marathon. The controversies just keeps coming and they won’t stop. The biggest danger right now is Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller. How can pressure be applied to reduce their influence on Trump? You can be sure that Republicans don’t like it either. They wanted a Trump they can control, not a Trump that’s chaotic and only throws them a bone once in a while (SCOTUS nomination). more »