Distressing!

 I know,  I haven't written anything in a long time.  I have something to say every day, and every day I don't say it.  I do say it in my mind, though, so it doesn't go away.  It stays there as a daily addition to feeling distressed.  Why?

Because if you think what happens today is so bad that it can't get worser, think again.  It will get worse tomorrow.  Day after day after day everywhere I look it is getting worse.  There is no place to hide.  I live for the most part inside my bubble, safe, well taken care of, insulated from what I see going on outside.  But I'm not shielded from the reality that has taken over.

I just watched a report on the Amanpour show that was so horrific that I moved from my chair over here to the computer to express myself.  I can't keep it untouched in my brain, unexpressed, any more,  The TV report focused on the desperate need for help for the millions, tens of millions, of people around the world who are suffering and dying because of lack of food, war, no shelter, disease, no medical care, and - and - and!

We don't lack the resources.  We don't lack the ability.  We don't lack the knowledge.  We lack the humanity to help.  We are indifferent.  While the current leaders in the U.S. are the gold standard in indifference, we are not alone.  Indifference is everywhere.  It is indeed distressing.

I'd like to think that in the end humanity will reassert itself and we will rise to the occasion.  But I don't see any reason to think this will happen.  I'd like to think otherwise, but I don't.  Sorry, friends, but that's way it looks today.

War!

Going to war with Iran makes no sense.  It is a bluster by a braggart that will not yield the intended results.

We say the Iranian people should rise up and get rid of their regime.  There is no organized opposition, so rising up will only lead to a slaughter of those that take to the streets.

There is an organized, well armed government military numbering hundreds of thousands that will not hesitate to kill their enemies.

Taking out the leadership will not help.  They will be replaced by more of the same.

This is a stupid move predicated on the lie that there is an imminent threat to the United States.  Not true.  The only ally in this war is Israel.  We do their bidding and will pay a heavy price for being their puppet.

I was hoping (against hope) that common sense would prevail and we would not go down this path of self-inflicted idiocy.  I knew it was a long shot and my hope would not be realized.  Sorry to say I was right! 

Out of Control!

Long time no blog.  No excuses.  Just long time.

Every day is something new.  Some new obscenity.  Some new threat.  Some new challenge to what we would have said not long ago was sacred.

I'll give them credit for pursuing their agenda non-stop, creatively, boldly, arrogantly.  Who would have thought it would be this bad, this fast?  Not I!

The temptation is to fight back - every day.  To rise to the bait.  To do something.  The problem is that that doesn't help.  They get away with almost everything.  For the most part the courts are on their side.  Congress is helpless.  The executive institutions have been hollowed out and filled with loyalists.

The polls are saying what I want to hear.  Disapproval is on the rise.  That's good news.  But not enough to provide relief or guarantee that things will get better soon.

Some time ago I wrote that the civil war had already begun.  Nothing has happened that has changed my mind.  I wish it were otherwise.  It is out of control! 

Ohtani!

As a diehard San Francisco Giants fan I am programmed to detest the Los Angeles Dodgers. Happiness is seeing the Dodgers lose.  Full Disclosure: Back in the day I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and continued to be when in 1958 I was living in L.A. and the Dodgers came west.  That changed when I moved to San Francisco.  So now it is "Go Giants" all the way. 

At the same time I've been an admirer of Shohei Ohtani since he came to play in the U.S.  No problem when he was with the Angels, but then he signed with the Dodgers, so in theory at least he became the enemy.  But emotionally I still had an affinity with him.  The only way I could resolve my dilemma was to want him to do well and hope the Dodgers lose.

But what he did the other day was a joy to watch even if the Dodgers would win the game.  Pitching as well as hitting he did what no one had ever done before.  He pitched for 6+ innings and gave up only 2 hits while striking out 10.  And he hit not one, not two, but three towering  home runs.  All this in the same game.  That it was a deciding game in a postseason series made it even more memorable.

So good for you, Shohei.  Its a pleasure to cheer for you!

Cease Fire!

Like most people I am very happy that there is a Cease Fire in Gaza.  And like most, even reluctantly, I give Trump credit for creating and managing the process that made it happen.

And as I listen to the pundits/experts opine, I'm in agreement with most of them that while this first step is welcome, most of what is left to do to attain a permanent peace and stability in the Middle East is just that - left to do.

Since I'm on the subject of reluctant kudos, I was interested and surprised to read a lengthy article in the Times that detailed Jared Kushner's role in getting to this Cease Fire.  It painted a positive picture of what he has done and how he has done it.  I wouldn't have guessed he was that effective.  

So go figure -a couple of surprises today! 

Speechless!

Friends have been asking why I haven't posted recently.  Good question.  Is it because I have no opinions worth sharing?  No, that's not it.  Is it because I'm OK with what I see happening in the world around me?  No, definitely that's not it.  What then has made me kind of mute?

Every day I think about what I observe and silently talk to myself in a reaction.  Usually, these days what I have to say to myself isn't a positive interpretation.  I am appalled by what I see pretty much everywhere I look.  And it seems that the trend is downhill for as far as I can see.

So if I write about it I am adding my voice (or scream) to the noise and it won't make a difference, so why bother?  That's not a pessimistic outlook, its worse than that.  It is cynicism.  And I realize that being a cynic, and talking about it, is not helpful - either to me or to anyone who may be listening.

So I keep it to myself.  I choose to be speechless.  Not something I'm proud of, by the way.  But in copping to it now I am taking a positive step, more in keeping with my commitment to telling the truth as I see it rather than surrendering to the forces that cause me to be speechless. 

Dumb and Dumber!

I hear that Attorney General Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Burgum came to my city the other day to check out Alcatraz.  Apparently they are following up on their boss's harebrained idea that we should make Alcatraz into a working prison again.

Defintely qualifies as dumb and dumber.  Some say he got the idea after watching an old movie about a failed escape attempt before Alcatraz was shut down in 1963.  There are a thousand reasons not to seriously consider such a move, but loyal Trumpers will dutifully follow up on the boss's musings, dumb or not.

Unrelated thought:  No way CBS/Paramount cancelling Colbert doesn't have a political dimension.  Another bribe to smooth the way for the FCC to approve Paramount's pending merger with Skydance.