Light/Breezes

Light/Breezes
SUNRISE AT DEATH VALLEY-Photo by Tom Cochrun

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Did the Hunt Find a Witch? and Dramas in Twilight

     A few moments of gloaming evoked a sort of pensive tranquility. In looking at these frames I thought of impressionism as the quality of light and color seemed in motion, changing rapidly.
      Speaking of which, do you think we are entering the twilight of the trump regime?  Thoughts on colluding and conspiracy follow this visual therapy.  


 the light of the foreground trailing off into the distance-with the hot spot of a moon rise
the lace and feather like quality of forest against a painted sky 
very soft shadows decorate a mission, white and calm
the moon and the tapering shapes have an almost Flemish oil feel
the battle of portraits

   Reading artist/writer Stephen Hayes recent Chubby Chatterbox blog post about the fate of a portrait of Winston Churchill reminded me of an amusing juxtaposition in the halls of the State Capitol in Sacramento.


 






















   
     The Reagan portrait, like those of the other Governors is traditional and stately. Governor Jerry Brown's is modern and creative but apparently controversial at the time it was hung in 1984. 
     Brown, who served his first two terms from 1975-1983 reportedly said the painting looked "unfinished" and that it reflected his "unfinished work" as Governor.
     Artist Don Bachardy said Brown was a tough subject, uneasy at being painted, not content to sit as the artist worked. 
     Unkind things were written and said of Bachardy's work in the early '80's. Frankly I think it has become a classic in it's own right. Modern, perhaps even a little pop, out of the mainstream which very much bespeaks the remarkable political career and service of Jerry Brown.  
     Does a repeat Governor get a second portrait opportunity? Brown looks different than he did in the 1980's, don't we all?


the conviction of colluding "junior"
    Shall we dispatch with the judicial process now that televisions comics and pundits have convicted Donald Trump Jr. of collusion and conspiracy. Man have they ever! Almost expect to seem him marched to the guillotine as the old man celebrates the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille, the beginning of what became the "reign of terror " that included cutting off the heads of the likes of the "one percenters." The trump clan more than likely would have felt the "the national razor." But we get ahead of ourselves.
     Has the so called fake news and "witch hunt" found a witch? The news is no longer fake.  From the beginning I was not sure there would be provable "collusion" with the Russian attack. The Don Jr. e-mails may change that . There in fact may be a "there" there in the probe of the Russian meddling in our election. 
     We trust the Mueller team will plumb how deep and how extensive was the Russian attack. 
     Juniors acknowledgment and "love" of the information being supplied by Russian sources, likely Russian agents, raised an historic question--
what did the president know and when did he know it?
    Doesn't it strain credibility to think that when his son and his son in law, plus others, knew about the Russian attack and met with (colluded?) foreign nationals to screw with the American election, he-king trump of the tower, didn't know about it? One of the meetings happened in his gold and glass tribute to poor taste. 
      We remember the function in this is to let investigators, prosecutors and the judicial system "prove" or not, and render a decision. What you and I think, and what the TV says doesn't really matter, except to us. However when the word treason is being used, it seems appropriate. 
a republican response would be nice, 
about now!
      Republican Joe Scarborough said it well. It is disgusting how republicans are selling out the party's core values. He asks what many Americans have-why haven't party leaders spoken out against trump's racist remarks, boorish behavior, his turning the white house into an extension of his family business? I wonder why they haven't demanded a cogent and consistent foreign policy? Why haven't they filled critical positions in the government? Scarborough asks "what are they willing to do, how far are they willing to go" in backing trump for their own means?
the big question
      Why would the party, known for its strong national security, defense support and hawkish policies, not be "ballistic," at least "operational," in response to the Russian attack? Imagine what President Eisenhower, Reagan, HW Bush and even W would say and do?
      At best Republicans have been tepid in their response! 
Now the president's son and his trusted ace advisor/son-in- law are caught with their hands in living Matryoshka dolls, why isn't there a loud condemnation? Or at least an admonishment that to cooperate with a foreign national to undermine our government is treason?
      Instead Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are trying to revive a dead skunk so they can give the trumps and the other richest of the rich a tax break while breaking our already fragile health care network and jeopardizing the well being of millions of not so rich citizens. 
      For the sake of the party and its self respect, and for the sake of the future, those Republicans with a sense of honor and patriotism need to drive a wedge between the trump regime and the party. Time to say enough is enough. If not then the Republican party will be owned by trump. He is probably already gold gilding the elephant and replacing GOP and Republican with another trump sign.  
      If we are lucky we'll see some of the trumps wearing orange jump suits and doing a perp walk. 

       See you down the trail.

       


14 comments:

  1. I think Trump's presidency will go down as a disaster, but it will take time, maybe even his entire first term. It's hard for me to understand why Republicans have tied themselves to this Trumpian anchor. History will judge harshly those who colluded with this president to damage our democracy.

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    1. History is always a skilled and sharp judge.

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  2. I agree with Stephen. Also, nice pictures, Cochrun.

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    1. Thanks. As you know noir shots are fun, but tricky.

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  3. The GOP, currently, ain't dumb. They may be wrong-headed in every way, but they believe there is a way to hook their wagons to this person. I don't think it's by accident. The only other answer is they are so desperate for power they will go along with anything. And I'm not sure that's it.
    They think trump will come out on the winning side of this; the American people are either so stupid or so turned they will go with him. Like the Italians did with Mussolini, or the Russians did with many, or the Germans did with Hitler. There are more examples out there.
    I don't think this is an easy fix.....I think there are a lot of people who don't care what Trump Jr. did...it's ok he met with Russian agents. It's ok Russia helped their candidate. It's ok because he's their candidate. Were it Obama, there'd be a armed uprising.

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    1. On your last point--can you imagine the volume from the right if it were Obama?
      Fox News would have instigated a pitchfork and torch march on the White House.

      As to your first point-I hope we have doomed ourselves to repeat the German or Italian tragedy.

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  4. Since I've sworn off discussing the Chief Executive for the month, I'll merely comment on Jerry Brown. His 1992 campaign for President got me interested in Presidential politics. He was really a leftist that time out - only taking $100 contributions, wearing turtle neck sweatshirts, and mixing in Zen and Allen Ginsberg observations into his speeches.

    He seems to remake himself completely every few years. That painting is exactly what I would have expected from his gubernatorial portrait for his first time as governor.

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  5. Jerry Brown may be one of the most facile and pragmatic of the current crop of political leader. He has learned and grown over the years.

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  6. Over the last 40 years the Republican party has excised all of it's honorable and patriotic members, Name one Republican in the House or Senate who would stand up and speak out against this disaster of a presidency.

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    1. Your question is a strong invitation.
      But men and women serving today somehow seem of less stature---in both parties.
      Politics has become a profession and a business. The inner gyroscopes are different.

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  7. Tom, you do a great job. I am only now able to"speak" about the current occupant of the oval office. Our younger son has dual citizenship now with Sweden. Say what you will about the EU, their hate speech laws would have put this administration away by now. I'm so sad for our country.

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    1. So many of us are saddened. We need to mobilize that attitude in the 2018 mid-term elections and certainly in 2020.

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  8. Spot on analysis again Tom. Any trips to Iowa or New Hampshire on Jerry Brown's calendar?My inspiration for the week is an old Chinese saying: "When the tree falls, the monkeys will scatter."
    (Courtesy of Michael Wood's PBS special, The Story of China)

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  9. The quote is apt indeed and a good way to put a punctuation point on this crazy week!

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