Maria Corina Machado

The Norwegian Nobel Committee made an excellent choice, in awarding this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado.  Señora Machado has spent much of her life fighting to advance democracy in her native Venezuela - much of it recently, while living in hiding.  

Machado - Nobel Peace Prize

As deserving of this honor as she is, she deflects much of the credit to other, less well-known people, whose efforts contribute to the cause.  This humility is characteristic of a worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize - which is intended for those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of peace and justice.  

AG Serves us, NOT POTUS

In case it's not clear, the US Attorney General represents the PEOPLE of the United States, not the President.  

This isn't one of those ambiguous questions, like whether ICE Barbie should bring her husband or her side-squeeze along with her to Portland, when she shows up to review her invading troops.  

Vaccines and Tylenol

I got my annual shots yesterday morning (Covid booster, and an 'elder American bonus' flu shot).  

This morning, my shoulder was a bit sore at the injection site, and I had just a touch of the post-vaccination blues, so I popped a couple of Daddy's-little-helper acetaminophen tablets (Tylenol, if acetaminophen is too hard for you).  

I don't generally consider myself to be a Devil-may-care chance taker, but today I take a bow.  

Now, to go find my water colors, in case these adventures have made me artistic.  

Child: Mummy There’s going to be a fire.

A moment of comic relief from Francois Truffaut's movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 came when a mother was walking her son across an overpass, as 'fire trucks' zipped by below, with sirens wailing.  The boy tugged at his mother's sleeve and shouted, 

"Mummy, look there! Firemen!  There’s GOING TO BE a fire!" (IYKYK)

I think we have a similar moment now, except in real-life, as Federal forces pour into otherwise peaceful cities ... "Look Mummy! Federal police forces!  There's going to be civil unrest!"

Science Doesn't Negotiate with Folklore

Science exists in the realm of verifiable reality.

It is not the responsibility of science to negotiate with folklore, or cultural norms, in pursuit of compromise.  

The best science indicates the Earth, and our Solar system as being about 4.5 billion years old, with the most rudimentary life emerging only after a sterile half a billion, give or take a hundred million years.  

Traditional beliefs generally date the beginning of life to a much more recent time - in some cases, less than 100 thousand years - or even less.  

It is ridiculous to look for a middle ground ... say, maybe two billion years.  This would be unsatisfying to both science and folklore.  Let each of them exist in its own lane, untroubled by the difference.  

Turning DEI into a Negative

DIVERSITY

EQUITY

INCLUSION

Say these words aloud ... slowly ... one at a time.  Let each linger in your mind for a moment.  Chew it intentionally; digesting it slowly before moving on to the next.  Don't mush them together; abbreviating and conflating them - denuding them of their meaning.  

Unless denuding them of their meaning is your intent.  In that case, just say the first letter of each word, and chant the resulting contraction rapidly, without any of the underlying reality.  Listen constantly to speech that is peppered with this abbreviation, spoken contemptuously, until you come to adopt that contempt as your own.  

Over time, in your mind, these concepts are no longer societal North Stars, and the source of our nation's strength - but are instead, part of an insidious plot to weaken us; fairness is now perceived as cheating; up is down, black is white, good is bad. 

Surrender yourself to the NewSpeak.  

Voltaire, the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher,  is credited with coining the expression, ‘Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities’.  As we learn about loyal employees losing their careers, accused of nothing more pernicious than being a 'DEI hire', or see American citizens rounded up, roughed up, and detained for no cause other than that they met the profile of a class of human beings our government intended for that treatment, how can we not ask ourselves what have we become?

Trump Justification for firing Fed Governor

 Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is based on his claim of " ...  "sufficient cause" to remove Cook immediately, pointing to accusations that Cook made false statements on mortgage agreements."

Understanding the President's lifelong dedication to truth, lawfulness and the American way, it is understandable that he would react with such institutional repugnance to allowing her to continue serving in her role as a Fed governor.  

Considering his response to the mere appearance  of financial dishonesty, one can only imagine, if instead of APPEARANCE, she had actually been charged, tried and convicted.  

Just imagine his outrage!  

Trump Real Estate Fraud