Photo op

I can just see it in a few months. The border. On one side, thousands of refugees, many mothers with small children. On the other, the mobilized US Army. It will become a recruiting poster for those who hate us, compliments of Pres Bone Spur.

Halloween

Living in apt complex with lots of kids, expect trick or treaters, which we never saw in our isolated house for 20 years. Look forward to it.

Ambrosia

I just had a tall cold glass of my home-brewed buttermilk and, man, there is nothing more tasty!

Go, Cougs!

Rankings

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. LSU

4. Notre Dame

5. Michigan

6. Georgia

7. Oklahoma

8. Washington State

9. Kentucky

10. Ohio State

Protesting Bone Spur in Pittsburg

Good question

Rightwing terror stalks America. Will Trump do anything to stop it?

Walter Shapiro

The sad undeniable truth is that the US faces a grave challenge from homegrown terrorism that has nothing to do with Isis or al-Qaida

Always lying

Pres Bone Spur up to his daily tricks. His gullible followers buy this crap.

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States . . . with all of those benefits,” Trump said in an interview with Axios.

He’s wrong.

At least 30 countries subscribe to the principle of jus soli, wherein a person’s citizenship is based on the territory of his or her birth. Simply put, birthright citizenship. Jus soli is law in Canada, the United States and nearly every country in South and Central America. (WP)

American failure

Here is the last speech in my one-man play about Oregon Senator Wayne Morse:

MORSE

            So if you asked me, Wayne Morse, name

            the one thing in our country that you

            think will do more to strengthen

            American foreign policy in the next

            half century, you might be surprised

            at my reply. I would say, Do something

            to protect the educational standard of

            American boys and girls.  Do something

            to protect American brain power. 

            Because the only sure and lasting

            defense of peace is a highly educated

            and enlightened citizenry.

Instead, alas, we have a sizable group of citizens who equate "highly educated" with elitism! We have a celebration and empowering of ignorance. For shame, America.

Studs Terkel Made Oral History Ten years after his death, Terkel’s voice is still a vivid part of our shared experience. By Peter Dreier

Read the article.

Montgomery Clift: the untold story of Hollywood's misunderstood star

In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth

Read the story.

Jennifer Rubin

In the Washington Post:

Trump has eradicated red lines of civility, refused to condemn neo-Nazis and offered a steady diet of grotesque stereotypes of immigrants. He has demonized the press and raised fear of foreign terrorists embedded among refugees. His campaign and now his presidency fan the flames of white grievance; he has done more to mainstream nonfactual conspiracies than any president. To say he bears no moral or political responsibility when disturbed or fringe characters hear him, take him seriously, extrapolate from his remarks and engage in horrible acts is willful blindness. He is not solely responsible. He is not mainly responsible. But the guy with the biggest megaphone on the planet is partly responsible when unbalanced people are inspired by his toxic rhetoric and that of followers whom he refuses to repudiate.

I would hold him more responsible than she does.

And this headline from The Guardian:

Trump a 'purveyor of hate speech' and not welcome in Pittsburgh, says former synagogue leader

Wordsworth

The world is too much with us, late and soon ...

Dodgers Stun Red Sox In Longest World Series Game Ever The Dodgers’ Max Muncy homered in the bottom of the 18th to cap an all-time classic.

I went to bed after 15.

Habit

I thought LAST RIGHTS would be my last novel. Might be. But I am intrigued by a new premise and fiddling with it: an old man can't stop crying, his two kids in conflict about what to do about him. No pressure, just fiddling along. Don't want it to get too stressful, like the last one.. Don't want writing to kill me.

Writing is the way I exist in the world. Can't stop it ha ha.

Happy birthday to me

79, not a day too young either. With luck, I won't have to witness the worst.

Paul Waldman ...

... on President Bone Spur:

There is literally no imaginable situation in which Trump would act as a president of all Americans, no crisis in which he would be a force for calm, no event that he would not seek to turn into an attack on those he believes are his enemies, no moment where he would not act in the most petty and reprehensible way possible. That’s who he is, who he has always been, and who he will always be.

Right on. The mother of ineptitude and self-delusion, right there in the WH. Appalling.

Fenway Park

How long?

How long, how long, goes the old blues refrain. How long before someone in the Bone Spur White House, or in the Republican Party, gets outraged enough to grow a spine and stand up against the rhetorical culture of violence and hate spewed by the President? Bone Spur, who once offered to pay the legal fees of those beating up reporters, who calls Democrats and the press "evil," and whose lies incredibly escalate every day it seems, will deny, deny, and change the focus, but he leads this dangerous pack and his supporters are complicit and it seems to me the end in the long view will be, as I predicted months ago, martial law in this land of ours, his act of self-defense, and then we'll see who is on whose side.

Man, am I glad I'm an old man.

Nails it

Stephen King

✔@StephenKing

Donald Trump’s campaign message in two words: Be afraid.
My campaign message in two words: Be brave.

5:58 PM - Oct 22, 2018

The Decline of Character

CHARACTER DOESN'T COUNT the way it used to. In the past, most Americans honored their presidents and used them as role models who embodied time-tested virtues. No more.

Read it. 

Clearwater River at Orofino, Idaho

The caravan

If Prez Bone Spur goes bonkers over a "caravan" of families fleeing violence, imagine 10 or 100 times their number fleeing climate catastrophe in the months and years ahead. Hopefully he will be gone by then.

Nothing depresses me more than his supporters. Their disregard of his character is appalling. No wonder tyrants gain power.

John Prine: American Oracle

Read the article.

Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
© John Prine

While digesting Reader's Digest
In the back of a dirty book store,
A plastic flag, with gum on the back,
Fell out on the floor.
Well, I picked it up and I ran outside
Slapped it on my window shield,
And if I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel. 

Chorus:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more. 

Well, I went to the bank this morning
And the cashier he said to me,
"If you join the Christmas club
We'll give you ten of them flags for free."
Well, I didn't mess around a bit
I took him up on what he said.
And I stuck them stickers all over my car
And one on my wife's forehead.

Repeat Chorus:

Well, I got my window shield so filled
With flags I couldn't see.
So, I ran the car upside a curb
And right into a tree.
By the time they got a doctor down
I was already dead.
And I'll never understand why the man
Standing in the Pearly Gates said...

"But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more."

New England

My early hours

I consistently rise to the best part of my day. My best hours are upon rising. Then the day goes downhill, usually slowly, occasionally more rapidly.

My two best friends -- one passed in 1998, the other in 2003 -- also were morning people, coffee and breakfast early was a good sharing time. Have missed that for many years now.

It's just myself and Sketch at this hour now. And Sketch is quick to go back to bed when he's done his business and eaten. So here I am.

Report from Helsinki

Headline:

Teen Climate Activist to Crowd of Thousands: 'We Can't Save the World by Playing by the Rules Because the Rules Have to Change'

"The politics that's needed to prevent the climate catastrophe—it doesn't exist today," says Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old from Sweden. "We need to change the system."

Read it. 

Orofino, Idaho

My best friend's home town. Many experiences there.

Only bar I've ever seen with the honor system: when bartender had errands to do, left an empty picture for money, self-serve until he got back. As far as I could tell, no one cheated.

A kind-hearted bartender as well: one winter afternoon, a guy passed out at the bar, fell on the floor. Bartender got him a pillow and blanket and let him sleep on the floor. We walked around him.

I did my Guthrie show in park there, met a man who said he'd known Woody.

They were a gay, interracial couple in an age of relentless bigotry. The two Harolds didn’t flinch.

Heroes. Read the article.

Arthur Miller and the Making of Willy Loman

Read the article.

Some years ago, I had a brief exchange with Miller in an online chat room. I told him about a production of Salesman here in Portland with an all black cast. I liked it.. After a silence, Miller responded, That isn't the play I wrote.

Bone Spur's new painting

Delusions of grandeur without bounds. Amazing. Appalling.

Insight of the day

The United States, circa 2018, looks like a place run by people who know they’re going to die soon.

Read the article. 

In 'Blockbuster' Ruling, Judge Says Youths' Climate Case Against Trump Administration Can Proceed to Trial "October 29, here we come!"

Man, this is far out. The case is in Eugene, which seems appropriate. Go, youth! Read the story.

Bone Spur on 60 minutes

What a clear demonstration of the kinship between farce and tragedy!

The Weekly Guardian

Just changed format from newspaper to magazine. So far, so good!

American Democracy Is Now Officially A Demented Reality Show, With Minstrels

Read the story.

UN Says Climate Genocide Is Coming. It’s Actually Worse Than That.

Read the story.

Preamble

Alas, just the beginning and far from the worst
...

Check it out

A Scary Time

Today's headline

The world has barely 10 years to get climate change under control, U.N. scientists say

Columbus Day

Mark Twain:

October 12, the Discovery. It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.
- Pudd'nhead Wilson

The Political Glass

The Political Glass

Half-empty: Only a violent revolution, as in the past, can remove the corporate power brokers and lead to a genuine redistribution of wealth, to equality, opportunity and freedom. The two party system is impotent. History suggests that there is no genuine systemic revolution that is peaceful, though skirmishes may be.

Half-full: Women, by their biological differences, are perfectly placed to create and lead a revolution not driven by testosterone and warrior myths, which might lead to methods and results never seen before. They are the last peaceful alternative and hope.

What happened

The confirmation should have been a slam dunk No.

 I say this because one hypothesis only explained everything: he did it drunk and couldn't remember it. But the obvious was lost in the shuffle because first, Republicans either doubted Ford or forgave K because he'd become an outstanding citizen in DC social and professional circles, and two, the Democrats were completely incompetent in making their case.

The Dems made two early mistakes:

1. They let Repubs turn a job interview into a trial
2. They let Repubs run with the "gang rape" sensationalism and showboating of Avanatti. Once Repubs said K was accused of gang rape, which he wasn't, it was over. He was accused of spiking drinks to take advantage of girls.

Look, this happened while I was in high school. I never saw it but stories were plentiful about girls passing out, on their own or with help, and being taken advantage of, sometimes by more than one boy. No one called it gang rape. No one was shocked because the stories were too frequent. It was, How horrible, and boys will be boys, and girls need to be more careful. No one called it gang rape.

This context is relevant here because it turns something horrible and sensational into something unfortunately rather common at the time. K was one of the boys, a jock, a frat, with a temper ... it's not hard to imagine what happened. And then later in life he got his act together.

The entire culture is guilty. The entire culture should have been put on trial. K just should have had a job interview.

The strongest case was by Ramirez because witnesses were available. The Dems should have focused on it more.

So here we are. It ain't the end of the world. Climate will do that, not politics.

Congressional dysfunction today is nothing compared to the 19th century!

Congress

I've been reading Prof. Jill Lapore's extraordinary new history of the U.S., THESE TRUTHS. In Congress,tension and conflict were so great over the expansion issue, regarding Texas and war with Mexico, that fist fights broke out. Members carried knives and guns. Hey, all this chaos today is nothing ha ha!

This great book pops mythology and is a gripping history that refuses to sweep things like slavery under the rug. Magnificent book! If only more Americans were interested in their country's actual  history ... 

Liberal optimism

I've been reading a liberal optimist who believes the wheels are coming off the K nomination. A retired Supreme Court judge comes out against him.Law professors sign petititons. Dems find dirt in the FBI report. More.

So what? I don't think any of this matters. I don't think the ideology driving this gives a hoot about anything but getting K on the court. In fact, I'm astounded by optimism that things like facts matter here. I guess I am too cynical to buy into it.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong.

Duh

No corroborating evidence because the FBI didn't interview anyone on the list of 28 possible  corroborators. Loony tunes.

Perspective

A look at history: we got through the Jackson era, a President who blatantly ignored a Supreme Court ruling ("Let him [John Marshall] enforce it"); and Eisenhower's Supreme Court pick, conservative Earl Warren, voted like a liberal once on the court. Many surprises will happen.

Alas, the real issue, climate change, remains ignored and in time will make all this conflict look like the bickering it is, as the species struggles for its very survival. Mars and the moon, here we come.

I'm reminded of Jonathan Swift and Tom Lehrer, who best put such idiocy in perspective. Remember Swift on which end of an egg to break, as issue that leads to war? Or Lehrer, we'll all fry together when we fry? 

The greatest stink

I can see how corroborating Ford would be difficult. But not Ramirez, who provided a long list of witnesses, some of whom have spoken up without an FBI interview.. And none were interviewed. This is a great failure, along with dismissing the issues of honesty and temperament.

Senators are reading the FBI report on Kavanaugh — but they get only get a single copy to read, in one-hour shifts, under intense security

What a farce.

Eve Ensler: A Letter to White Women Who Support Brett Kavanaugh

Playwright of The Vagina Monologues writes:

Dear white women who support Brett Kavanaugh,

Last night when I saw Donald Trump mock Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, I couldn’t help focusing on the women behind him who cheered and laughed. I felt like I was falling into a familiar nightmare. It compelled me to reach out to you.

When I was a child my father sexually abused and beat me. My mother did not protect me. She sided with my father, just like these women sided with Donald Trump, and I understand why. She sided with him because he was the breadwinner. She sided with him because of her need to survive. She sided with him because the reality of what was happening in front of her was so terrible, it was easier not to see.

Read more. 

Worse to worst

Judge K gets confirmed, then we have a TV parade of dozens of witnesses who tried to contact the FBI but were ignored, massive protests, etc, and we're worse off than a week ago. Ain't partisan politics fun.

My bread turned out great! It usually does.

Disgusting

So now Prez Bone Spur is mocking the courageous Dr Ford and Trump women are cheering him on! A bottomless pit.

Baking bread

It's still legal! 

Why conservatives don’t care that Brett Kavanaugh is a liar

Read the article.

Prediction. Vote without time to study report. Tie. VP breaks it, confirmed.

Massive protests. Women energized even more.

Documented and conclusive in CURRENT AFFAIRS

HOW WE KNOW KAVANAUGH IS LYING

.....

What does it say about this country that this is the state of our discourse? That Kavanaugh even stands any chance of being made one of the most powerful figures in the American government, with control over life and liberty? That a man like this is even a judge? He went before the United States Senate and showed total contempt for his vow to tell the truth. He attempted to portray a highly esteemed doctor as a crazy person, by  consistently misrepresenting the evidence. He treated the public like we were idiots, like we wouldn’t notice as he pretended he was ralphing during Beach Week from too many jalapeños, as he feigned ignorance about sex slang, as he misread his own meticulously-kept 1982 summer calendar, as he replied to questions about his drinking habits by talking about church, as he suggested there are no alcoholics at Yale, as he denied knowing who “Bart O’Kavanaugh” could possibly be based on, as he declared things refuted that weren’t actually refuted, as he claimed witnesses said things they didn’t say, as he failed to explain why nearly a dozen Yale classmates said he drank heavily, as he invented an imaginary drinking game to avoid admitting he had the mind of a sports jock in high school, as he said Ford had only accused him last week, as he responded to his roommate’s eyewitness statement with an incoherent story about furniture, as he pretended Bethesda wasn’t five miles wide, as he insisted Renate should be flattered by the ditty about how easy she was, as he declared that distinguished federal judges don’t commit sexual misconduct even though he had clerked for exactly such a judge.

And what does it say about us, and our political system, that he might well get away with it?

Read the full article, it's worth it. 

Prediction

Senators will get the FBI report but won't get time to look at it closely before they vote.