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

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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.