A Twilight of Sanity?

 

        It would be easy to make the case we are in decline, slipping into another brutal epoch but that would foreclose on what history tells us about human resilience. I'm betting on recovery, but not ignoring the darkness that shrouds us and deepens its setting.

    As spring reveals itself in California we've turned a few miles and tried to buffer the insanity with open space, and hints of the life we knew before Covid, political pathos and the war madness of Putin. There is evidence of light in the gloom and darkness that our media screens feed us.

        In the heartbreak and devastation wrought by Russian war criminals is extraordinary human excellence and strength. Neighboring nations making space for refuge, the international condemnation and network of sanctions, volunteers in arms and the outpouring of humane support. 

        The people of Ukraine tower as lights. The Ukrainian defiance and defense of democracy encourages, inspires western nations and NATO and, by its dedication, shames the US, or at least a portion of the populace.

        There is legend and lore in the Coachella Valley about the witch of Tahquitz, seen in the shadow above. 

        We saw evidence of a curse of another sort in the US Senate Judiciary Committee's treatment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. The behavior of a party was an embarrassing new low. The acting was lame and the ham handed play of their culture war cards bespeaks intellectual and moral bankruptcy. Oh how history will score those cretins. 

        Despite conditions, sometimes severe, California's poppies signal vibrant life and color every spring. They were napping near the Poppy reserve on this day, but they were evidence of rebirth.

        A new and important question in Washington this spring is "What did Justice Thomas know, and when did he know it?" His wife and "best friend" is revealed now in her own words as an enemy of truth, democracy and the republic.

     Truth always comes out. The Justice's bunk mate is a conspirator, and a kook. There is a growing call for the Chief Justice to censure Thomas. This linkage to the plot of insurrection is a new low, a crazy new low. But sober minds  are calling for action.

        The crazy high we all should be working on is inflation. Inflation has a way of wrecking the order of things and becoming THE dominant political concern. No party or politician is responsible this time. Blame the higher prices on pandemic supply spasms, price gouging, the elevating cost of energy because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the tumble down chain reaction. 

        The political poltroons and sluggards will try to fix blame and score points since "deplorables" are real and on the loose.                                              

        Real patriots understand complexity; we will pay a bit more for gas and some items as the world tries to stop the war on democracy. Economic warfare does not come without sacrifice. 

        Senate and house democrats will need republican support to get inflation control legislation passed. Guess what party would prefer to watch inflation rise so they can gripe about it? 

        A spirit lifting adventure was a visit to an art and plant exhibition. People together again, celebrating life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This was our first "cultural event" since March of 2020, and it felt good to see people celebrating life and creativity.

        I was on a Zoom meeting today where a couple of the participants were talking about a wind chill temp of zero. It's been a while since you've been able to enjoy something as simple as this. So, until spring reaches you, enjoy vicariously. 

      It is in such moments we appreciate what is "noble, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy" and a fulfillment of our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

        I'm reminding myself not to take for granted, the life and the aspirational government structure we enjoy, imperfect as it may be. There are inequities, inequalities, inefficiencies, and corrosive players indeed, but there has been since the birth of the republic. 

        It should be ours to fix, make better, and live into the promise. Like many of you we mourn what happens in Ukraine, and in Russia too. Both nations victimized by a despot and human villainy in ignorance of international and moral law.

 

        There is nothing guaranteed about our freedoms.

As citizens it would be good to invoke to ourselves passages of the oath taken by our military, and our elected representatives.

        "I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..."

        It is the sane thing to believe, say and do.

        Stay well. Live strong.

        See you down the trail.

 

    

The Demise

         There's a chop out there. Tough days in the newsroom, especially at CNN. Testing time on the diplomatic front. And I'm going to violate one of my mother's rules of conduct.

        Mom would often say, "if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." But I can't ignore Jeff Zucker or Vladimir Putin. 

        From my view, they've been exposed, seen through and both have been up to no good. 

        They're dark agents and we deal with their legacy.

        I don't know Zucker though our paths crossed many times as we treaded the news and journalism events over the years.

        Zucker got respect for his early work at NBC bringing the Today Show to a new era. I worked 15 years at an NBC affiliate, was in and out of New York at NBC events or with the NBC crews in the field and we shared moments of history. 

        I followed his career track but when he got to CNN my opinion of his professional decisions tanked. Zucker turned CNN from a 24/7 News Network into a news and personality heavy yack format.

        Viewer interest in broadcast news rises and falls based on any number of variables, but substituting personality for reporting or investigative work and documentaries changed the nature of the network. Zucker was more about ratings and the bottom line than the public's need to know.

        

        The darker cloud over his now tarnished reputation was his fawning and irresponsible devotion to Trump. 

        Under Zucker's command CNN  gave then long shot and unlikely candidate Trump millions of dollars of free airtime during the Republican Primary. CNN's deplorable judgement  put on a countdown clock ticking away until the next Trump appearance. Never had a candidate been singled out for the spot light and free air time. No candidate ever was so propped up. No candidate was ever as undeserving.

        Zucker tossed out balance in news policy and philosophy to pander and let an infantile and crude hustler trash the sober Republican party, and infect the American political system with a rotting disease from which we still suffer. Zucker alone among all credible news group executives aided and abetted.

        I care less about Zucker's personal life. There are questions about his professional judgment and CNN is in a crisis. His damaging influence on news broadcasting is a greater offense. It is, however, another example of how self indulgent some in the information business are and how out of touch they are from the working and struggling audience and citizens.

       

        One has to wonder if Putin's campaign of interference, undermining and collusion would have happened without the  media shine on the narcissist stooge.

        In a December 9, 2013 post I referred to Putin as being a taker. The world watches as his motive and intent have been revealed and counter played by the US and allies. Thus far President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Security Advisor Sullivan, NATO, and European leaders Macron and Scholz have been more than a match for the little Russian. But Putin is old school KGB, steely and immune to public opinion. 

        The table of options of response to an invasion are wide.

Putin is counting on a moronic partisan strife in Washington. We once enjoyed the adage that politics stops at the water's edge. That was before Jeff Zucker and Donald Trump.

        Stay safe and stay tuned. 

        See you down the trail.

        

          

WHO WILL NOT SEE?

Santa Lucia Mountains, Cambria Ca.

"Blind faith in your leaders or in anything

will get you killed."

Bruce Springsteen

"You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism

that you can't face reality. What is wrong is wrong

no matter who says it."

Malcom X

textured Cambria sky

"You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.

Mahatma Gandhi

"A lie told once remains a lie-but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth."

Joesph Goebbels-Nazi

"I alone can fix it."

"I am the only one who matters."

Donald Trump

another evening, another palette, Cambria


"The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.

Sydney J. Harris

"There is a chance that we could end up having a 

major, major conflict with N. Korea."

Donald Trump

"Trump is a traitor."

Jeff Lewis

     Offensive, blundering, uneducated, unfit, serial liar, bully, narcissist, asinine, and quite probably a Russian stooge. Yet there are those who give him allegiance. Stupefying! 

please answer

     Are we to believe this man is an evil genius who, with his cabal and laughable sycophants will make this nation a better place? Who, but Putin, thinks it's a good idea to bash or break NATO? How's Korea working out? What did we get for walking out on the Iran deal? They got the money and now no one is there to stop them from building nukes? How's that wall look? Did you get your heartland jobs back? Are those coal mines open again? Cutting lunch programs your idea of hearing those desperate who voted so they would be heard and get help? That tax break help you as much as it did the 1%? You really want to invade Venezuela? What's the positive of being the only nation in the world to drop out of the Paris Climate accords? Think it's a good idea to kick your allies and make nice with despots? Really, cancel war games because they are too expensive, but spend more than that on security for golf weekends at Mar a Lago? Is that big military parade to compensate for libido? Did Trump care replace Obama Care? Is America Great Again?

      How, why does anyone give him allegiance? 

      
    See you down the trail.       
     

MEMORY WEAVES

      It's a fascinating riddle, how memories are seeded. Mike,  native citizen blood coursing through his body, is an accomplished flute player and basket weaver. Here he is a weaver of memories. This little one is mesmerized.

remembering

      All of us were captivated by the Cal Poly Lion Dance team. 

    They came to Cambria's East Village to help dedicate the Greenspace Chinese Temple, an historic site paying homage to an historic village presence. The Lion Dance Team has been part of the Cal Poly culture for 70 years. 

 the bad memory scrapbook

   The nincompoop is back from his first international tour. He's telling people it was a home run. Right! Did you see the faces of the NATO and G-7 leaders? Trump is toxic but he is due credit for telling NATO that all members of the alliance need to carry their weight, financially. He is correct and other Presidents have said likewise. The flip side of the trump role is that NATO and G-7 nations say they can no longer count on the US. More damaging is the assessment that trump's attitude has weakened the alliance. 

     My biggest bone to pick with the bone head is his refusal to support the Paris accords in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 195 nations have studied and determined the accords are necessary. The US is backing out because our still unfit, unqualified and increasingly idiot bully boy president ignores science, the pope's encyclical and most of the civilized world. In his world "climate changes is fake news." In a better world he would be tarred and feathered. 

woven from youth

       There is something especially civilized about a pause to remember, those who have served and those who have passed. My grandmother and her sisters called it "decoration day."  My parents and my brothers and I made annual trips of respect. I remember those days and visits that that now seem long ago.

 Karl and Mary Helen
dad and mom

 John
brother

Jim

brother

bring on summer

 There was a time when Memorial day signaled a time to move to white dinner jackets on formal occasions. Khaki or seersucker was permitted and the pools were opened. All that was a long time ago. It is comforting to reach the Holiday that marks clicking into a summer mind set...even an endless summer.

time for our annual visit from another world

    See you down the trail.