Mr. President, Congratudolences

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AUSTIN, TX. Nov. 7, 2020. A Protect the Vote rally is held in Wooldridge Square shortly after former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the projected winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. Michael Minasi/KUT

When  they finally told us who had won the 2020 presidential election, I felt a profound sadness. Not because I wanted the other guy to win — not hardly — but because I felt sorry for the winner.

Like most successful campaigns, Joe Biden’s offered a clear and simple promise — “I am not Donald Trump, I will restore competence and decency to government.” Eighty-one million American voters approved, more than voted for any presidential candidate ever before, and seven million more than voted for Trump. But not-being-Donald-Trump is not going to be enough. Consider what we confront: Continue reading →

Cooling Our Jets

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The Army of the Deplorables assaults the US Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

Overheated rhetoric deployed against overheated rhetoric is like spraying gasoline on a fire. The events at the Capitol last Wednesday were awful enough; exaggerating them serves no purpose.

  1. It was not an attempted coup. A coup seeks to assume the power of government, something these morons were obviously not equipped to do, and to be objective were not trying to do. To the extent they had a strategy it was apparently to delay the certification of the Electoral College vote for president.  
  2. But it is not at all clear that there was a strategy, an overall plan. By appearances they were just a mob, rioting, and mobs have IQs that equal the average shoe size of their members. Clearly, some of them wanted to kill and maim, others wanted to trash, and some wanted to take pictures of the pretty statues and selfies of their grand adventure.

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Let’s Think Positive About 2020

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Enough, already, from us “nattering nabobs of negativity,” as we were branded by a distinguished vice president of the United States shortly before he resigned his office to avoid prison (Agnew). If you can’t say something good about a year, you may be right, but jeez, we have to at least try. It’s the season and all. So let’s review some of the good things that happened in 2020. 

There was, in this country and many others, a significant reduction in pollution in 2020, including in the emissions of greenhouse gasses. The air in many of the world’s most polluted cities became noticeably clearer and measurably more healthy. The change was sufficient to suggest a slight brake on the progress of global climate change, the first such in modern history. 

Alas, it was not a stalwart populace rising at last to face a difficult enemy, it was a reluctant populace trying to face down a different enemy, the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions on gatherings, dining out, bar hopping, travel and business in general reduced industrial activity enough to improve the environment. Whenever and wherever the restrictions were eased the activity resumed and the environment went back in the tank.  Continue reading →

The Second Biggest Scam Ever: Plastic Recycling

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Contrary to what you’ve been told, this is and has always been the reality behind plastic “recycling.”

To misquote Buckminster Fuller, industry kills what industry touches. (He said that about tourism, but it works.) Industry decided to reach out and touch plastic recycling in the 1970s, about the time the general public was awakening to environmental concerns. At the same time, the same industry (Big Oil) reached out and touched global warming, launching what has to be the largest and most consequential deliberate scam of all — I’m assuming this, but I feel safe — climate-change denial.

But the oil companies used different strategies for the two issues. With climate change, they saw no upside, nothing to co-opt, and spent billions of dollars over many decades to spawn fake science, fake news and fake advertising denying that any such thing was happening, and if it was it was not especially harmful, and if it was there was nothing we could do about it anyway. But in plastic, they saw an opportunity for increased profits in the rising public disgust over the degradation of the planet with plastic waste.  Continue reading →

Getting to Know You, Collapse

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The idea of an impending American collapse is enjoying a better class of friends these days. Long relegated to the low-income housing of blogs like The Daily Impact and The Doomstead Diner and the like, consideration of collapse is appearing with ever more frequency in respectable publications and websites, places people don’t mind admitting that they read. Just today two major works in two highfalutin’ places have come to my attention. I think it’s a trend, frankly.

First James Fallows, a writer and thinker I much admire, has a piece in The Atlantic titled “The End of the Roman Empire Wasn’t That Bad: Maybe the end of the American one won’t be either.” Now this is a notch above the typical whistling-past-the-graveyard pieces that the shills for infinite growth forever and ever have been putting out since it became obvious to the enlightened — that would be us — who saw that the end was clearly near. Continue reading →

Lies and Consequences

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Maybe it took a Donald Trump to demonstrate to us how saturated with lies and cowardice American life has become. He didn’t start it, he just raised it — correction, lowered it — to a depraved art form.

Mother Culture sings to us (from the big screen in the living room and the little one in our hand, they’re all on the same umbilical cord) around the clock about what is happening in the world and what our lives should be like, and almost all of it is lies. From the bikini model who says she lost 180 pounds effortlessly by eating granola, or something; to the announcer who shouts that you could have perfect, all-inclusive health care insurance with no co-pays or deductibles and not even have to pay for it; to the goofball insurance purveyors each of whom insists that they are the cheapest (“No we are! No we are! No….); to the cell phone company that insists it has converted its entire national network to 5G technology; to the pleasant elderly dolts who insist they are smarter than they look because they medicate with something made from jellyfish; and on and on and they are all lies. And those are just the commercials.Liar liar Continue reading →

The Armies of Democracy

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No, the armies of democracy did not wear uniforms. Maybe they should have. To get a little respect.

If they had done what they did a few days ago as a military operation — wearing uniforms, carrying weapons — the world would have been transfixed, our adversaries carried out of the arena in a dead faint. 

By the hundreds and then the thousands and then the tens of thousands, they left their homes in the predawn dark last Tuesday and headed for their assembly points. For a few of them it was just another day on the job, but the great majority were volunteers with a day’s training under their belts. stepping up because someone had to. According to a well-rehearsed plan, they took possession of a critical building in each of their neighborhoods, booted up their complex computerized equipment and donned their face masks. Remember, all this was happening at the height of the worst pandemic, the worst public health emergency, in a hundred years. Continue reading →

Pregnancy Resources

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In modern times, the journey to pregnancy has evolved significantly due to advancements in technology, changes in societal norms, and increased awareness about reproductive health. While conceiving a child remains a natural process, many individuals and couples now have access to a plethora of resources and options to enhance their chances of starting a family. Here’s a closer look at getting pregnant in the modern era:

Education and Awareness: Unlike previous generations, individuals today have access to a wealth of information about reproductive health and fertility. From online resources to educational campaigns and fertility clinics, there are numerous avenues for learning about the factors that affect fertility and conception. This increased awareness empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and seek assistance if needed.

Technological Advancements: One of the most significant changes in modern pregnancy is the role of technology in assisted reproductive techniques. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), have revolutionized the way many people conceive children. These techniques offer hope to individuals and couples facing infertility issues by providing alternative methods for achieving pregnancy.

Fertility Tracking Apps: With the rise of smartphone technology, fertility tracking apps have become increasingly popular among those trying to conceive. These apps allow users to monitor their menstrual cycles, track ovulation, and identify fertile days with greater accuracy. By leveraging technology, individuals can optimize their chances of conceiving by timing intercourse during their most fertile window.

Alternative Family-Building Options: In addition to traditional methods of conception, modern times have seen a rise in alternative family-building options. Adoption, surrogacy, and donor conception are viable alternatives for individuals and couples who are unable to conceive naturally or prefer alternative routes to parenthood. These options offer a pathway to parenthood for individuals of all backgrounds and circumstances. Visit sites like https://yourlovingchoices.org/ to know more about pregnancy.

Focus on Wellness and Lifestyle Factors: Recognizing the impact of lifestyle factors on fertility, many individuals are taking proactive steps to optimize their reproductive health. This includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, managing stress, and avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco and excessive alcohol. By prioritizing wellness, individuals can improve their overall health and increase their chances of conceiving.

Supportive Communities: The internet has facilitated the creation of online communities and support groups for individuals struggling with infertility or seeking guidance on the journey to parenthood. These communities provide a space for individuals to share their experiences, seek advice, and find support from others who are facing similar challenges. The sense of camaraderie and understanding offered by these communities can be invaluable during what can often be a challenging and emotional time.

In conclusion, getting pregnant in modern times is characterized by a combination of technological advancements, increased awareness, and a focus on holistic wellness. From assisted reproductive technologies to fertility tracking apps and alternative family-building options, individuals today have more tools and resources than ever before to help them achieve their dream of starting a family. With support from healthcare professionals, online communities, and loved ones, the journey to parenthood can be navigated with confidence and optimism.

On Labelling Judges

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Color them red, and blue, and that’s it? I think there’s more to it…..

I often think we — and be we I mean all of us collectively, people, journalists, politicians, etc. — overestimate the degree to which judges appointed by a particular president continue to represent that president’s point of view for the rest of their careers. I am also suspicious of the meaning of the labels “liberal” and “conservative” as applied to jurists, and as used to predict their future opinions.

Years ago a friend of mine was summoned to jury duty. It was a long, complicated and serious case, a charge of manslaughter as I recall. My friend was the owner of a small construction company, a Republican, a hunter and second-amendment guy, who didn’t have much good to say about people who didn’t look and think as he did. (As I recall it, the accused at trial was a member of a minority.) Some time after the trial was over I ran into him and asked him how it had gone. His answer surprised me.  Continue reading →

What We Have Here Is a Failure of Imagination

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It might look like an old threshing machine to you. It was my starship, pirates’ galleon, stagecoach, fort, submarine, B-25 bomber and fighter jet.

When I was a child on the farm, time stretched out before me, infinitely long, wide and deep — or so it seemed then. My mother and father worked like draft animals from dawn to dark, and even after I was old enough to assume the appropriate load of chores, most of my time was on my own hands. There were no flickering screens in our house, not even in the living room, until I was 10 or 12. There was no corner to hang out on, not for at least five miles of dirt road.  

No matter. In the back corner of the farmyard sat an old abandoned thresher, an elephant-sized hulk of sheet metal and cast iron with ladders, a catwalk, what looked like a ship’s wheel, and some child-sized compartments. It was my starship, pirates’ galleon, stagecoach, fort, submarine, B-25 bomber and fighter jet. I didn’t go to movies, I made them, with no limitations whatsoever on special effects and casting.  Continue reading →