Have I Got this Right?

I want to be sure I’ve got this right:  There is no evidence at all that fraudulent votes were cast in Texas during the 2020 Presidential election, but Governor Abbott has continued to call special sessions of the legislature to pass voter suppression bills in an effort to eliminate fraudulent votes.  Meanwhile, there are huge bodies of evidence that confirm Covid 19 vaccines are effective against the disease and that wearing masks and social distancing are effective at combating the spread of a Worldwide epidemic, but Governor Abbott has ordered no mandated mask-wearing and no mandated vaccinations.  Have I got that right? 

So, people will die because of his mandates.  So American citizens will be de facto denied the right to vote because of his proposed legislation.  He is attacking the right to live and the right to vote simultaneously.

It appears to me there are only a few explanations for this delusional behavior:

It could be that Abbott is just stupid.  Really stupid.  He is willing to fly in the face of all the science and all the metrics so that his personal little view of the world becomes the law of the land.  I would sit on the street corner and laugh at the naked emperor were not people dying from this stupidity and American citizens will lose the right to vote. 

It could be that Abbott is evil personified.  He wants more Texans to die and he wants fewer Texans to vote.  Both goals are evil.

It could be that he has been co-opted by others who are really stupid and/or really evil.  Throughout our history, we have seen elected leaders abandoned their oath of office for money and power.  Perhaps Abbott has simply been bought by the cultist right-wing believers.

Or, it could be that he is a sleeper agent for liberal Democrats.  Those folks dying from Covid because they will not get vaccinated and will not wear masks are mostly Republicans.  So as he works to pass superficial voter suppression laws that look like they will inhibit the Democratic vote he is determined to inhibit the Republican vote by allowing Covid to kill mostly Republicans.  If so, he does not really know Democrats who will always stand to protect the vote and always stand to protect our citizens from attacks of disease, hunger, exposure, etc.  If he is a sleeper agent, he should be fired and prosecuted.

Have I missed something here?  Or is there a new libertarian trend that demands government does not work to help people.  Rather, the government should work to hurt people.  Does this trend aim to eliminate all laws and regulations that require us to do things we may not want to do?  Perhaps Abbott will issue future executive orders that dismiss the requirement that one wears his or her seatbelt, obey posted speed limit signs, stop at stop signs and red lights, and allow driving while under the influence.  Perhaps he will order that having insurance is not a prerequisite to driving or that car inspections should cease.  Perhaps he will issue future executive orders that will ban anyone who has ever voted for a Democrat to lose their right to vote.  Perhaps he will issue future orders that abolish compulsory attendance at school, child labor laws, and currently required vaccinations for mumps, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, etc. to attend school.  Perhaps he will actually void UIL rules that require kids to wear helmets while playing football.  The list of government requirements that help us, protect us, and keep us from hurting each other is a long list.  Shall we see all that go away?

Perhaps.  He is headed down that path.  I wonder if inheriting Trump voter support is worth the death of even one child courtesy of his mandates, or the exclusion of one American who would simply like to either vote by mail or show up at a nearby polling site.

Have I got this right?

We Say We Believe in Democracy

 I have been a student and/or teacher of American Government since 1968 and had anyone told me as recently as 2016 that we would have seen our democracy come so close to falling apart in 2021 I would have laughed and said we are smarter than that, we are stronger than that, our belief system is better than that.  I would have been wrong.  As it turns out, we say we believe in democracy but only if the results of democracy are to our liking.  Otherwise, getting what we want, enforcing our beliefs on others, and maintaining power and wealth is now more important to many, many Americans than democracy, and I am heart-sick about it.  Imagine a Christian blinded on the road to DC by the god RA who wants to know why the Christian has persecuted him.  That gut-wrench when one realizes that what they most believe, most love, most support is wrong.  That’s where I am.

So I begin by asking, do you believe in democracy?  Do you believe that a government should serve the people, not vice versa?  Do you believe elected officials are public servants, not tyrants?  Do you believe that all people are created equal?  Do you believe that we are a nation of law and not a nation of personality cult and power and money?  Do you believe that the right to vote is the most precious right in a democracy because without it there is no democracy?  Do you believe that the government should never promote one religion over another or any religion over non-religion?  Do you believe that the way forward is always based on the expansion of human rights and reliance on science and logic rather than belief?  Do you believe that citizens have the right to protest, have the right to seek to resolve their grievances?  Do you believe that a free press is absolutely essential for free people to know what is going on in their government?  Do you believe that we must both protect the rights of the minority while avoiding the tyranny of the majority?  Do you believe that we are a liberal secular government made different from all other governments because of the beliefs outlined above?  Do you believe that when the people speak, whether we win or lose, like it or not, we support the outcome because that is the essence of democracy:  trusting the will of the people?

As I write this I see the horrible scenes from Afghanistan as the Taliban not only eliminate their secular government, the Taliban eliminates people who support a secular government.  The Taliban are a religious cult, totally convinced they are enacting the will of their particulate supreme being.  Anyone who disagrees with that belief is wrong.  Worse, anyone who disagrees is subject to a death sentence.  Women should not be educated.  Women must dress a certain way in public and serve men in certain ways.  Women may not work.  Women may not leave home without a male escort.  People are not created equal.  Taliban mullahs have dictatorial power over everyone.  It is scary as hell. 

When they were last in power in 2001 there were public executions of infidels and violators of their religious code.  That group of cultist fanatics is back in power.  The god of the Taliban does not believe in civil rights, protecting minority views, or equality and equity.  The history of this chaos, this regression in government, begins long ago, but most recently with Bush’s post 9/11 intervention there, then Obama’s ongoing support and increased presence of American troops, then Trump’s claim to have negotiated a US withdrawal, then Biden’s effort to honor that negotiation and withdraw only to learn the Taliban lied and did not keep any of the promises they made to Trump.  Tragic from the get-go.

And yet it appears to me that evangelical Christians and Catholics and the Taliban have much in common.  They all believe that the best government is a theocracy wherein the beliefs of the religious are supported by the government.  Evangelicals even argue that the US was founded as a Christian nation when nothing could be further from the truth.  All these groups want to see religious icons supported by the government whether it is monuments displaying the Ten Commandments or flying the crescent and star flag over public buildings.  All three groups strongly oppose women’s rights, especially freedom of choice.  All three groups assume their god has ordained certain elements that must be included in their governments such as religious holidays, worship on certain days and certain hours, clothing to be worn (or not worn) by women, attacking anyone who does not support their particular religious beliefs, religious institutions free from taxation, resentment to the notion of separation between church and state, and assuming that some god is on their side and sanctifies even the most atrocious acts.  None of the members of these groups appear able to intellectually perceive that there are other belief systems.  Each firmly believes they hold a universal truth and that their god is the one true god.  Discussion using logic, science, or political theory is impossible with them as they believe they are right so there is no point in discussion unless it is to convert the heathen or infidel.

Each election or coup that places one of these believers in power is a step away from the essence of democracy.  And yet, what shall we do when the people speak and select candidates and programs that are fundamentally religious?  Shall we honor the notion that the people rule when they make what many would call stupid decisions?  Or shall we assume that such decisions made by popular vote are erroneous and must be corrected? 

We have a litany of conflicts over such issues from the Iron Curtain in post-World War II in Europe, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan and a host of African and Central American nations.  What shall we do when the people speak and make the wrong choice as supporters of democracy see it?

In most of the cases above the selection of leadership was not made based on democracy.  The decisions were made based on brute force and/or military intervention.  Should we even negotiate with armed forces rather than governments?  The Taliban is not a government.  It is an armed religious group.

Clear signs that the cultists want control is to claim any election whereby they were defeated was a fraudulent election and then take steps to reduce the number of eligible voters in future elections.  Those who support democracy prefer to see every eligible person vote and place safeguards to ensure the validity of the election process.  We had accomplished the second of these tasks prior to the 2020 election.

A general rule of thumb, which means this is a complicated issue and a simple solution is likely the wrong one, is to look at each systemic change in government and ask, “Are people attempting to gain entrance into the country, or are they attempting to escape?”  One could also ask, “Who decided to change the form of government?  Was it the voters?”  Each answer will yield insight into what I think should be the American response.

I get it that we cannot and should not police the world.  If we believe in the self-determination of peoples and the ultimate goal of promoting democracy worldwide then we should back off where it appears the people have made a choice.  On the other hand, if those who support people making the choice and an armed intervention forestalls that process we should seriously consider intervening in some way.  Likewise, if human rights are being crushed.

People are fleeing Afghanistan.  Not a good sign.  No one elected a Taliban government.  Not a good sign.  However, we have inadvertently flushed the Taliban out of the hills and caves and into Kabul.  Now might be a good time to say to them, “Establish a government that allows elections and human rights, or we are coming back in to do so.”  And should the people elect the Taliban, we will leave.  Evangelicals, cultists, jihadists, and other anti-democratic regimes and organizations do not merit our support.

If the right-wing fringe gains a majority in this country and votes in leadership that opposes democracy, human rights, suffrage, immigration, etc., then we may very well become a nation where people choose to flee rather than enter.  It is then that our true belief in democracy will be tested.  Will we vote?  Will we allow and promote maximum voter participation?  Will we abide by the outcome and verify then ignore cries of fraud in the process?  We will see.

Democracy is at risk both here and abroad.  Scary for me because I believe in democracy.

America without Democracy

I am sick and tired of doctors making medical decisions.  Who the hell do they think they are?   It is high time we get a businessman in there to tell doctors what they should and should not do.

I am sick and tired of engineers making infrastructure decisions.  Who the hell do they think they are?  It is time for a businessman to get in there to tell engineers what will work and what won’t.

I am sick and tired of lawyers making policy recommendations.  Who the hell do they think they are?  It is time for a businessman to tell lawyers what is appropriate given our Constitution and what is not.

I am sick and tired of scientists making medical recommendations.  Who the hell do they think they are?  It is time for a businessman to tell the scientists what will work and what won’t and what is serious and what is not.

I am sick and tired of anyone who has studied, practiced, and observed any field of endeavor, and then we conclude that such a person has expertise.  If you have spent your life managing a shipping company why shouldn’t the bosses’ idiot son take over?  If you have spent your life pipe fitting why shouldn’t a businessman decide what welds are best?  Why the hell did we ever value knowledge, experience, and study?  All it really takes is a businessman who stands up and says, “I know more about technology than anyone, I know more about foreign trade than anyone, I know more about our defense than anyone, and I know more about the ideal water flow through showers and down potty’s than anyone.”  When will all these experts understand that if one walks on water one does not need a degree or experience or knowledge? 

Sure, we should drop nuclear bombs on hurricanes.  Why not?  Sure the coronavirus is a hoax and not to be taken seriously.  Sure shining UV light inside a person will kill the coronavirus.  Sure injecting disinfectant into a person will kill the virus.  Sure, if the National Hurricane Center does not include a certain state in the projected path of a hurricane a businessman can re-draw the map with the cone of uncertainty as he sees it.  Sure getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing is a violation of your rights even though the businessman is not clear on what those rights are and why those recommendations matter.  And of course any election that did not return the businessman to office must be riddled with fraud.  Because he says so.

I just know if the other party supports science, I do not.  If the other party supports math, I do not.  If the other party seeks to end the pandemic via science. I do not.  I would rather base all my life and death decisions on what my gut tells me regardless of science, regardless of experts, regardless of doctors, regardless of PhD’s, regardless of anyone with education and common sense.  Those are the people who populated the swamp and we don’t need them.  We have guts.  We have beliefs.  We have the businessman.  We do not need facts or science.

Don’t you know it is the year of belief without evidence, followership without leadership, decision- making without facts?  And an America without democracy. 

Bob's Rules

 

As season 18 of NCIS ends I reminisce the joy and humor I have experienced with every articulation of Gibbs’ Rules.  If you want to see Gibbs’ list here is an authoritative link: 

https://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/photos/1003066/gibbs-rules-the-complete-list-from-ncis/2/

Meanwhile, I have developed my own little set of rules to help me negotiate the current complexities of life.  I have unashamedly borrowed from other brains.  So here we go:

      .  1.    Every highly complex problem has a simple solution, and it is wrong.

2.      Truth is truth, belief is belief and they are not the same.

 
3.      Just because you believe it does not make it true.

4.      The more extraordinary the claim the more extraordinary the facts must be to support such a claim

.
5.      Math and science do not care about your belief system.

6.      One may not use a belief statement in an attempt to prove a belief statement.

7.      Prejudice, racism, misogynism, bullying, assault, and discrimination are validated by the experience of the victim and are not dismissed by the denial of the perpetrator.

8.      Judging others by inherited characteristics is blatant fear and selfishness.

 
9.      Judging others by an inherited and unexamined belief system is appropriate, but usually fruitless.

10.  Your attempt to improve what is currently successful will result in antagonism.

11.  The 7.9 billion people on the planet will continue to exist only as long as we cooperate, compromise, and allow those impacted to influence the rules.

12.     Denial of a reasonable request for information will always imply wrongdoing.

13.     Never claim unearned credit, always give more credit than you receive.

14.     Teach others, develop others, and model for others.

15.     The problem with competition is someone wins and someone loses.

16.     What’s good for business is not good for the people of the USA.

17.     Your belief system is not better or worse than another belief system.

 
18.     Your belief system becomes worse than other belief systems if you attempt to force it on others.

19.     Get the hell out of the left lane if you are not passing.

20.     Your mission may be my minutia.  And vice versa.

21.     Love is a gift that hurts to give.  It cannot be earned or found if lost.

22.     Trust is a gift that leads to betrayal.  It cannot be earned through control.

23.     Those who base their belief system on lies and falsehoods will react with violence when the truth emerges.

24.     Put it back where you found it.

25.     If it is not yours do not throw it away.

26.     All humans are our brothers and sisters.

27.     Do unto others as you would have them do for you.

28.     The universe is too vast not to have other life forms.  But, we are and will be alone.

29.     The pursuit of wealth and power is the most ignoble of human endeavors.

30.     The pursuit of truth and equity is the noblest of human endeavors. 

Each rule could merit a separate blog post.  I shall forego for now.  And, no doubt, other rules will evolve.

Consequences

No matter where I drive I consistently find myself driving with other drivers who view the art of driving on public roads as a competitive sport rather than a cooperative effort.  You know them too.  They grow frustrated if you are ahead of them and are not driving as fast as they would like.  They will change lanes, back and forth barely missing front and rear fenders in the hopes that they may gain 10 or 15 yards on the other drivers.  Some of these drivers are young and are perchance just showing off, but someone should tell them that they are driving a 2,000-pound hunk of metal that is covering about 50 feet per second and is fatal if taken internally.  But, many of them are middle-aged white guys.  They should know better.  But evidently, they did not get the message.  Speed limits are upper limits, not lower limits.  Stoplights and stop signs are to force cooperation among drivers so we do not kill each other.  Blinkers are a nice touch, though I guess for some the extra physical effort is just too much.  I am saddened by the drivers who do not enjoy driving and look forward to opportunities to support other drivers by yielding, letting them back out of parking spaces, moving to the right lane so they can pass, etc.  And yet, these drivers are becoming metaphoric for me.  If running you off the road serves their selfish agenda they will do so.  They represent the “no cooperation and to hell with you” approach to life. 

So Mitch McConnell comes out of a meeting and announces to all who will listen that his goal is to oppose the Biden agenda.  All of it.  The parts he has seen and the parts he has not seen.  Doesn’t matter.  He against it.  He has nothing to put in its place except fear and fantasy, but somehow folks in Kentucky tolerate this un-American, me-first kind of approach to life without starting a recall election.  Well, if they voted to recall McConnell they would be left with Rand Paul and that might be worse.  At any rate, what kind of driver do you think Mitch is?  Is he courteous, yielding to others, allowing others to go first, or is he the type that just cannot stomach cooperation?  I think announcing that he is opposed to all things Biden means he is announcing he is not in the Senate to do anything but say no.  Is that what you want?  Should McConnell and his ilk be held accountable for their obstructionism?  What are the consequences for Mitch?

Conservatives seem that way to me.  Always opposed.  Always mad.  Always afraid.  And that is just sad.  It is sad if you do not feel safe walking the streets of your hometown unless you are carrying a firearm.  How fearful is that?  Our good ole Texas government has just made it much easier to carry weapons so there will be more weapons out and about in areas of major conflict like Happy Hour at Chili’s or a parking spot at the mall.  They are doing this in the name of protecting 2^nd Amendment rights, which is kind of revealing.  I suspect they have either not read the 2^nd Amendment, or did so and did not understand that it protects the rights of everyone in the militia to keep and bear arms.  Oh well.  While they are expanding the obscure and outdated 2^nd Amendment in Texas they are making the right to vote, the foundation of a democracy, more difficult, fewer places to vote, more validation to show, etc., etc.  Maybe they are trying to restrict voting because of all the death that occurs at polling places.  Regardless, it is now easier to get a gun and carry it than it is to vote.  Don’t tell me you want to protect rights then pull this crap.  You are like the guy running me off the road because we all serve his agenda.  What should be the consequences for elected representatives who attack the right to vote?

Religious folks can be the same way.  You better do what I tell you to do because God has told me to tell you to do that and if you don’t do that you are going to hell.  Everyone has to think and believe like me because I am a good American and a good child of God.  I guess that is why God gave us free will, so we could all be bent to your will.  So bizarre.  So their God is an omnipresent cop in the sky keeping score so he/she can decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.  Where is hell, by the way?  If it is a real place it will have coordinates somewhere in the known universe.  If it is not real then the entire belief system is folly.  These folks enter the political fray now endorsing candidates.  That’s fine, they have violated the wall between church and state and they should just start paying taxes.  Any time a preacher stands behind a pulpit and advocates one candidate over another, one party over another, or one proposed piece of legislation over another he or she is violating the establishment clause and there should be consequences.

So speaking of consequences I think it is high time we had some for the lunkheaded logic and conspiracy theory crap that has been going around for about a year and a half.  If a parent wants to enroll a child in school they have to show the school that child’s vaccination record.  Why?  Because an unvaccinated child can make other children sick.  So why aren’t we doing the same with the anti-COVID virus nuts?  If you don’t get vaccinated you may not use public streets, public water, may not work, may not go to school, etc.  Why?  This is not about your right to infect others it is about what we all agree to do for the common good and public health.  Get over it.  The good of the many always outweighs the good of the few, unless the good of the one requires us to save a life.  Man up.  Rand, the needle doesn’t hurt that much.  Don’t tell me you are a patriot but you can’t take a shot for all your fellow Americans.

And while we are at it, let us start publicly testing these home-spun ludicrous theories.  Let’s force the perpetrators to man up as well.  Ted Cruz, do you believe Trump won the election?  If so, what proof do you have?  Same to you, John Cornyn, and Gregg Abbott and Ken Paxton, and all the other numbskulls riding their symbolic horse into the fringe camps to get future votes.  You don’t believe that nonsense and I know it.  Let’s use lie detectors to prove that what Trump says is baloney.  Let’s prosecute all elected officials who have supported the Big Lie.  Damn, let’s stop pussyfooting around these morons.  They swore an oath to uphold the Constitution but do not seem to be able to even support the Superman fictional goal of truth, justice, and the American way.  And if I am the enemy as I advocate democracy and truth then you know where their hearts lie.

I trust the police to catch the competitive drivers out there threatening our lives.  I’m going to have to trust men and women of conscience and men and women of both parties to insist that our nation be governed by fact not superstition, by science, not conspiracy theory.  If we all stand up and tell these fools they will be held accountable for any lie they tell maybe we can clean up this mess. 

Yes, I believe there should be consequences for making false statements and for refusing to comply with public health safety measures in a pandemic.  Truth is the path to a better nation, not a conspiracy theory and self-serving lies. 

Poli-Sci-Fi

I love science fiction.  Take me to another world, another time, another set of life forms, a whole new array of technology and I am a happy camper.  It is for me like a vacation to a place I have never been before.  Much of the Sci-Fi I read or watch describes settings that I wish were true, some of it describes settings I am very thankful are not true.  I would love to be able to beam somewhere with Scotty, or watch a Jedi defeat the emperor, or watch Paul Atreides ride a spice worm.  Regardless, Sci-Fi takes me away.

But, I know the difference between science fiction and fact.  When I put the book down or the movie ends I return to reality, to the world I know, a world based on fact, not fiction, science, not sci-fi.  There are no such things as Jedi, or the emperor, or Klingons, or Vulcans, or Starfleet, or Yoda.  I know that. 

Political science is a serious field of study.  In this field one learns about our Constitution, how we pass laws, the three branches of our government, the checks and balances each branch has on the other, the appointment process, the impeachment process, the protection of civil liberties from those who would take them away, protection of the media, the separation of church and state and why that is such a wise thing to do.  One learns the advantages of a two-party system and the core values held by each party.  One learns what powers are left to the state governments and there are separate curricula designed to study those governments as well.  One learns about international trade and international politics and other forms of governments as well from the liberal democracy we enjoy to the extreme conservative totalitarian fascist state to the extreme liberal totalitarian communist state.  One learns the difference between free enterprise, free enterprise with regulation, socialism, and feudal totalitarianism backed by the military.  These are areas of real importance around which every American should be informed.  That is perhaps why a student may not graduate in Texas unless he or she has passed American Government and Economics.

Until very recently, political science and economics were grounded in fact, data, experience, eyewitnesses, and outcomes.  But we have entered a new era, evidently, and I missed the announcement.

There was Poli-Sci.  There was Sci-Fi.  Appears to me now that there is such a thing as political science fiction or poli-sci-fi.  There are wonderful fictional novels and movies regarding how governments are formed and operated and the people who experience such an operation prosper or die.  Watch “Running Man” and Alita, Battle Angel,” the Divergent series, the Hunger Game series, “Fahrenheit 451” and “The 100,” to name but a few.  But each of those pieces of media is fiction.  I should not have to say that, but I do.  There are some who confuse fiction with reality and for them, the clarification must be made clear.

There are, however, some current best-sellers in the poliscifi arena. 

“Trump Wins 2020 Election!” 

“Biden, Software Companies and State Officials Steal Trump Ballots, Claim Biden Wins!” 

“Random Group of AntiFa Members and Democrat Extremists Storm Capitol!” 

“The Secret Hand of the Deep State Revealed in 2020 Election” 

“Trump Will Never Concede an Election He Actually Won” 

“Trump Replaces George Washington as the President Who Will Not Tell a Lie,” 

“Trump’s Business Successes Continue to Accumulate” 

“Trump Would Never Assault a Woman” 

“Trump Not Guilty of Any Illegal Act” 

“No President Has Ever Been as Successful as Trump” 

“Trump Enjoyed Overwhelming Support of the People,” 

“Trump’s Impeachments Due to Democrat Conspiracies” 

“The COVID Vaccines Contain Microchip Implants and Will Steal Your DNA!”

“The Only Reason Biden Able to Slow the Virus is Trump’s Push to Find a Vaccine” 

“Only Trump Can Save the USA During These Challenging Times”

“Police Kill Black Suspects When and Only When They Do Not Obey Police” 

“The US Would Be Better Off If All Immigrants Left” 

“Voting Restrictions Must be Enforced Due to 2020 Election Fraud”

Do not be mistaken, the authors of these fictions prosper mightily any time some American citizen buys their fantasies.  But they are fantasies.  There is no truth to any of those themes.  None whatsoever.  People have offered rewards to anyone who can demonstrate proof of these lies and no one has claimed a reward yet. 

Trump lost the election, fair and square and there is no evidence of anything else.  Trump made 30,573 false and misleading statements while he was President.  He is a consummate liar and cannot get through a speech without lying.  There are 26 women pursuing charges of sexual assault against Trump.  He has made so many derogatory remarks regarding women and minorities they are not worth repeating here.  Trump called a meeting of his followers on January 6 at the White House and told them to march to the capitol building.  Trump called the meeting, on the day the votes were to be certified.  His followers used force to enter the building, they stole stuff, vandalized stuff and people died.  The building was the United States Capitol.  It was an insurrection by folks who did not like the outcome of the November election.  Trump could have sent them home, but he sent them down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the capitol.  And he will be held accountable for that as are his followers who were there are now discovering.

There is no Deep State.  No one has ever come forward and announced they are a former member of this so-called deep state.  Though people have come forward and announced they were former members of the KKK, White Supremacy groups, and even the Republican Party.  I figure if there was a Deep State we either would have never heard of it or it would by now be totally public.  What this lie is about is an effort to blame someone and to raise fear. 

My experiences talking with folks who have bought into the poli-sci-fi myths is extremely frustrating.  It is akin to having someone tell me they are Romulan when I can clearly see they are Borg or telling me that Captain Picard is leading a rebellion against Star Fleet, or that the Enterprise is really the Millennium Falcon.  There is no good way to argue with people who are wrong but sincerely believe they are right.

Fictions, and only fictions, continue to fuel these folks.  I celebrate the lawsuits brought by the software companies who were accused of converting Trump votes to Biden votes with no evidence at all.  I hope there will be public trials of Trump for tax evasion, misuse of power, violation of the emoluments clause, and obstruction of justice.  I have to believe that when the truth comes out our friends and relatives who currently subscribe to the poli-sci-fi will abandon those fictions and help restore the reality of the USA, grounded in the political science defined in the Constitution and not on right-wing talk shows.

We now know we can convert the carbon dioxide on Mars to oxygen.  We appear, however, to be unable to convert those who believe lies to those who know the truth. 

End Poli-Sci-Fi. 

Disoriented

 

I want to be sure I understand what is going on.  This is what I see:  Some Anglo Americans are harassing, attacking, robbing, shooting, stabbing, and discriminating against Asian Americans.  The motive for these attacks appears to be that Trump labeled the coronavirus the “China Virus.”  Yes, that same pandemic virus that Trump and his followers did and do not take seriously.  That same virus triggers whining about civil liberties due to wearing masks.  That same virus that Trump followers thought was a hoax, thought would simply go away, thought there would be a miracle cure, thought hot weather would kill, thought ingesting disinfectant would kill, and thought taking hydroxychloroquine would help kill.  So, lump all those lies together, think little of the virus, and yet generate enough hostility to Asians to attack them for the virus those Asians had absolutely nothing to do with?  So the virus is no big deal but the race Trump associated with the virus merits attack?  Is there some deep logic I am missing here?

If we were going to harass, attack, and demean anyone it ought to be those Trumpers who still believe the Big Lie, still will not wear masks, and still will not get vaccinated.  Those are the people threatening Americans, not Asian Americans.

If I do get it, I remain amazed at the dissociative prowess of the Trumpers.  Attacking Asians based on a presidential slur regarding a disease they disown and demean is extremely bizarre.  It is like those folks will use any excuse to spread hate and violence, even if they do not take the excuse seriously.  From where I sit, that kind of thinking or lack thereof merits its own special brand of harassment.

Those folks are disoriented.

Redfish Tags and Other Documentation

 

I want to rent a car.  To do so I must show my driver’s license and proof of insurance.  I want to buy a six-pack of beer, or a bottle of wine, or a fifth of scotch.  To do so I must provide documentation that I am over the age of 21.  I want to buy a house.  To do so I must produce written proof of insurance and written proof of financing.  I want to enroll my children in school.  To do so I must provide proof of residency and proof of vaccinations.  I want to go shoot a deer.  To do so I must have and be prepared to show a hunting license.  I want to buy a gun at a retail outlet.  To do so I must provide proof of age and pass a federal background check.  I want to make an appointment to see a doctor.  To do so I must provide proof of insurance.  I want to go fishing.  To do so I must have and be prepared to show a fishing license.  I want to keep the 29” redfish I caught.  To do so I must produce a tag allowing me to keep it, and such tag is attached to my fishing license.

So?

Seems to me that there are many, many instances where I must produce documented proof of something prior to engaging in certain normal behaviors.  I do not feel intruded upon.  I do not feel under the onus of big brother.  I just recognize that for safety’s sake and authorization’s sake I have to have proof.

So, right-wing-nuts claim that providing proof of vaccination is an intrusion on their civil liberties and is too much like big brother.  Really?  (I say the following tongue-in-cheek for those of slower wit.)  I recognize that more people have died from: renting a car more than from the pandemic, from fishing than the pandemic, from hunting than the pandemic, from the measles and mumps than the pandemic, from buying a house than the pandemic, from visiting a doctor than the pandemic and on and on.  BS!  We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic (hence the term “pandemic”) and asking me to provide proof of vaccination to engage in activities that expose me to other people and other people to me is the most reasonable way to resume normalcy. 

If you want mask mandates to continue, social distancing to continue, disease and disability to continue, and death due to the virus to continue then you should oppose wearing a mask and oppose producing proof of vaccination.  Or worse and dumber, refuse to get a vaccination. 

This is not about civil liberties.  This is about our former way of life, and death.  One can either support the continuation of the horrible impact of this virus or one can support the eventual erasure of this virus and a return to normal, whatever that may be.  Do not be an obstacle to life and health because you have fear of a needle or see the creeping signs of big brother.  That is pure folly.  Required documentation is already standard practice in the USA.  This issue, however, is so much more dangerous than a redfish tag.

Wear a mask.  Maintain social distancing.  Wash your hands.  Avoid large groups.  Get vaccinated.  Grow up.

Where the Buck Stops

 

Dr. Larry Lezotte, a preeminent educational researcher and a man I greatly admire, once asked, “If the problem is caused by someone below you on the organizational chart, or if the problem is caused by someone above you on the organizational chart, or if the problem is caused by external factors, then in what ways are you relevant to your organization?  If the solution to your problem lies beneath you on the organizational chart, or above you on the organizational chart or outside your organization then in what ways are you relevant to your organization?”  President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.”  These are but two articulations of the same message:  be accountable.

I am amazed at the lengths some folks are willing to travel to avoid having the buck stop with them.  It appears whatever is wrong is always someone else’s fault and that the solution is the responsibility of someone else.  Of course, blaming someone never solves the problem, it just deflects the heat by passing the buck.

On November 7, 2020, Donald Trump released a statement claiming victory in the Presidential election. He claimed some deep conspiracy stole his votes, that there was widespread voter fraud, and that the media were perpetrating false information.  He won, but it was factors outside the election that took it away from him.  There remains absolutely no evidence to support his claims.  He did not say “I lost,” nor did he concede the election.  It was the fault of governors, secretaries of state, voter fraud, and the media.  The buck moved on.

On March 13, 2020, as the coronavirus was rapidly spreading through the US Trump had continued to say it was like the flu and it would go away, and was even so bold as to say that he rated his response to the virus as a “10.”  He made it clear that he was not responsible for the virus or our nation’s response.  The buck moved on.

As the electric power grid failed in Texas leaving millions without electricity.  Governor Abbott frantically looked for someplace to plant the blame.  It must the Green Neal Deal, it must be ERCOT.  It could not possibly be the governor, who appoints the board of ERCOT or supports legislative priorities to protect the oil and gas industries by keeping federal regulations at bay.  Nope, it was someone else.  The buck moved on.

As McConnell and Graham and company found excuses to push through Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court within weeks of the election after promising they would not do that very thing just 4 years ago, it must be because it is unwise to really believe they are accountable for their promises.  The buck moved on.

And clearly, all the problems in America right now are due to unfair trade advantages and immigration and minorities and democrats and liberals.  Right.  It is not me, it is not my prejudice, it is not my lack of knowledge of the issues, and it is someone else’s fault.  Let’s build a wall.  The buck moves on.

Yes, I could go on and on.  I won’t.  The current thinking of many politicians is to take credit for positive results whether or not any action on their part influenced those results, and to pass the blame for any problem to someone else, and to work diligently to obstruct other politicians who are developing plans to address the problems.  I call that cowardice and lack of character.

This is not just rhetoric for me.  I was a public school superintendent in one of the most highly regulated public school systems in the country.  I was one of 2,000 superintendents in the state.  I was charged with following all the state laws, all the federal laws, and all the local codes.  If our buildings were not ADA compliant it was my fault, I accepted that and implemented a plan to correct it.  If our cheerleaders were enmeshed in controversy I accepted the responsibility to fix it.  If our football team was losing I accepted the responsibility and developed a plan to improve it.  If our test scores were declining it was my fault and I developed a plan to fix it.  On and on.  I wish I had known Trump’s model before I retired because there sure were a lot of other people I could have blamed for these issues.  But I knew the job title meant the buck stopped with me.  As one of my professors used to say, “If your name is on the door and there is carpet on the floor it is your responsibility.”

Donald Trump lost the presidential election fair and square.  After months of attempting to identify voter irregularities, he has failed and his court cases have been dismissed for lack of evidence.  It is not a conspiracy.  It is not a cover-up.  He lost.  He can’t blame that on anyone.  His supporters continue to look for someone to blame, but there is no one.  Meanwhile, President Biden is addressing all our issues heads on, tackling thorny problems via executive orders, legislation, and the bully pulpit while the loyal opposition opposes all that he is attempting to do.  That is their strategy to prove they are relevant in our organization.  Obstruct all plans to improve or resolve.  They simply want to shoot the buck.

Own up, Republicans.  If you are not part of a solution you are part of the problem.  Your platform can simply not be: let’s keep the Trump supporters happy and oppose everything proposed by Democrats.  If you continue to follow that platform you will become irrelevant in the institution of governing the USA.  How about universal admission that the truth is Trump lost the election and go from there.  We need folks of conscience, not of fear, folks of character not of conspiracy theory, folks of truth not of treachery.  Be accountable. 

Let a buck or two stop with you.

Believers and Knowers, Part 2

 Back in July, I posted a piece entitled Believers and Knowers and contrasted those folks who assume truth on the basis of belief and those folks who seek evidence and data to confirm the truth.  That conflict rages on.  In fact, now that Biden is President and Democrats control both houses of Congress the gap between evidence-based truth and belief-based truth is even wider.  That scares the bejeezus out of me.  In recent conversations with believers, I have been called stupid, naïve, ignorant, etc., when I posted facts and evidence in contrast to their beliefs.  There has been much said about the fact that certain media outlets are stoking the fires of belief by providing misinformation regarding the truth,  Believers just suck it in as truth.  There has been much written about the fact that many Trump supporters exhibit characteristics consistent with cult membership.  All of that is scary.  But I have been particularly concerned about the willingness of some people to accept lies as truth, to assume that because they believe something it must be true, and to avoid science, evidence, data, etc., as though it was the plague (I would have said pandemic but this same group tends not to take that as truth either.)  I have remained dumbfounded by these folks and they have continued to label me as dumb but not founded. 

In December I posted a piece entitled False Beliefs wherein I enumerated those beliefs held by the believers that had no foundation in fact, evidence, science, or data.  I was more frustrated than ever after that mental exercise.

But I have recently had an epiphany regarding the answer to the dilemma of how adult human beings in America can continue to cling so steadfastly to those falsehoods.  I know part of it is the promotion of false information by the likes of Fox, QAnon, News Max, OAN, etc.  I know part of it is likely the appeal to the fear some have of immigrants or people in need of government assistance or the risk of losing their firearms.  I know part of it is bigotry against people of color, poor people in general, globalization, and educated people.  And I know that part of it is an anger toward anyone who might change the status quo of white male dominance in the US.  But that surely cannot account for all of the commitment to non-evidence-based beliefs.

And it occurred to me that we have been training Americans for years to believe in things not supported by reality, not supported by science or data or evidence.  We teach false beliefs to children and they hold on to those beliefs into adulthood.

Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Superman, Super Girl, Batman, Buffy, even the Boogeyman are all fictitious, but many parents have so instilled belief in these mythical figures that it is a small step for humankind to enter adulthood prepared to believe in the absurd. 

Religion makes it worse.  There are somewhere between 2,500 and 5,000 gods worshipped on planet earth today.  Each set of believers believes their god or gods is the one true god or gods.  No set of believers has any evidence of the existence of a god.  Those believers have taken the word of their parents, of some so-called holy people, and of some so-called sacred text as the basis of their belief.  There is no evidence. 

There are, however, deep personal beliefs and feelings wrapped around religious beliefs.  Such feelings are rooted in explanations of and hoped for relief from current events and the hope of some reward after death.  But there is no evidence that humans have an afterlife any more than there is evidence humans have a pre-birth life.  Many follow religious guidelines for fear that their god is a cop with a radar gun who watches all the time and will keep score of their bad deeds and high speeds.  Many are riddled with guilt as perfection is unachievable.  Many pay huge sums of money to a variety of churches and so-called holy people.  From the outside looking in it is amazingly bizarre.

There is no evidence that there is any kind of supreme, all-knowing being responsible to and for all life.  There is no evidence of an afterlife.  There is no evidence of a place that houses the souls of the departed whether it is heaven or hell.  For Christians, it is even more difficult to hold on to these Santa Claus notions as there is no evidence Jesus ever existed, the so-called holy scriptures were not canonized until 400 years after Jesus supposedly lived, there are no original copies of these scriptures, and the only remnants we have were totally edited by succeeding generations of scribes so that each scribe added his own interpretation to the scripture.  So these adults walk around believing a child was somehow born to a virgin even though they know that is impossible.  They believe some deity created heaven and earth in 6 days and that the planet is only 10,000 years old.  They believe that a man died and 3 days later rose from the dead, after he had walked on water, turned water into wine, healed the sick and proposed that everyone treat everyone as their brother.  For the most extreme members of this faith, the fundamentalists and evangelicals, the Bible is inerrant, every word is true and holy, even though they know their god did not dictate this book.  It was written by Bronze Age illiterate people and is still adhered to today.  There is nothing more amusing than to hear a Christian recite their beliefs.  Such recitations make the Night Before Christmas and Superman comics sound like minor league falsehoods.

We know, not believe, that planet earth is 12.5 billion years old.  We know evolution explains the changes and advancements in life forms on the planet.  We know the earth is spherical, not flat.  We know the earth orbits the sun and not vice versa.  We know there was no way for the over 1,000,000 life forms on the planet to ever fit in a boat and there is no evidence of a world-wide flood.  We know there was no Roman census the year Jesus was supposedly born.  We know Herod, the bad guy in the birth story, had been dead for 6 years before that supposed birth.  We know there are no prohibitions in the Bible against slavery though there are some pretty clear messages about all humans being equal and subject to love, support, and help if needed, most of which conservative Christians tend not to support anyway.  But if you are religious and believe these things it is a very small step to believe that Trump won and someone stole the election.  If Trump is the good guy one has to believe that Democrats are the bad guys. What you already believe is so improbable that these beliefs are clearly in reach. 

You have in effect been setting out cookies for Trump and on November 6^th he delivered your gift:  a claim that he had won.  It was a lie then, it is a lie now, but it is deeply believed.  Trump clearly abandoned our Constitution to re-seat himself as President.  And these folks believe that to be true with all their hearts and minds and souls failing to notice that the heart has another function and no one has ever produced any evidence of the existence of a soul.  It’s worse because their minds have stopped working.

I have had contact with recent converts to Christianity.  They are Zealots.  They are inspired and excited and they are not open to reason now that they have a skydaddy and a host of other people who also have imaginary friends.  It is not worth the effort to point out the folly of their belief.  We tend to see them as harmless, but perhaps dull.

But when I have contact with the political fervor stirred by religious believers I become amazed beyond belief.  That is because I have facts.  I have evidence.  I have the truth.  I have knowledge.  There is a tumultuous interaction between those who support Trump with religious zeal and those who know better.  I almost find it funny that the least religious president we have ever had has sparked a belief in himself that borders on religious fanaticism and I await the day those who support him see the light, not the conspiracy theories and not the lies, not the self-serving media blitz arguing falsely that he did great things.  No.  I am eager for them to see the light of truth, knowledge, justice and the American Way.  It will be difficult for the few brave enough to say let me see the facts.  For those who have brittle belief systems not subject to logic or reason who will go to their graves believing they were right, Trump really won, there is a heaven and they are the right hand of God.  Those folks will never learn.  When they die, there is no one there, no mansions, no heaven, no hell.  The lights just go out.  And all the damage they have done to their fellow humans will live on after them.

Throwing truth at believers is like administering medicine to dead people. (Apologies to Thomas Paine.)