Supreme Court Reform

In my view, the so called "Immunity Decision," Trump v. United States (how appropriate) is unworkable. The Supreme Court has completely lost all legitimacy. I want our new president, Kamala Harris, to endorse radical Supreme Court reform. And the easiest (constitutionally) way to do it is to increase the Supreme Court to 13. Or 15. There are other good reasons to increase the size of the court, possibly even have some decisions ruled on by panels. And then the new justices should aggressively reverse the horrible, antidemocratic decisions like this one, Citizens United, and quite a few others. Dobbs, which is the first time a basic right has been taken away. I cannot abide the mealy mouthed reasoning of those who oppose this, because, almost as much as the threat of Trump dictatorship, this is a basic threat to our democracy. 

 

Giving as good as she gets

Love the way Kamala responded to Trump's deliberate mispronunciation of her name by calling him Don-old. It's subtle, so it's not like kindergarten taunting, but it shows she's not taking his shit. 

I'm really happy to call her our champion for democracy. 

Who's too old to run for president?

I think in the future, Biden's actually quite tardy realization that he is simply too old and (quite normally) infirm to run for re-election as president, will be regarded as self-evident. Those who said he should never have decided to run in 24 in the first place will be thought to have been rather obviously right. Of course, since the Orange Menace, in addition to his utterly disqualifying behavior and lack of relevant skills or integrity, will be older than Biden is now well before the end of a term if, heaven forfend, he wins election, it should be pretty obvious that it is he, not the Democratic candidate, who is too old to run for president. This fact is sitting there and will not go away, and it may, just may, be what defeats him. Trump's unquestionable and severe narcissistic personality disorder and incipient dementia will obviously not help him either, but even if you somehow give him a pass on all his profoundly stupid and terrifying policy positions, you have to recognize that this horrible man, based merely on his mental health and cognitive impairment, not to mention poor physical health, has no business being a candidate for any responsible office, much less the presidency.  

Republican dumbnitude

If these stupid Republicans think trying to cook up legal obstacles to Harris's assuming the mantle and running against their would-be dictator in all 50 states will inure to their benefit with the electorate, they are being even stupider than usual. 

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RFK Jr shows his true colors?

According to Heather Cox Richardson's substack, there is a "leak" to the effect that RFK Jr is "in talks" with Trump's cadre to drop out and endorse Trump, in exchange for some kind of position in the Trump administration. Now, doesn't that just about tell it all about this utter nutjob, who has, tragically, just about ruined his family's legacy and political imprimatur for all time with his insane conspiracy theories and anti-vax lunacy?

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 Thank you, Joe Biden, for your service. 
On to victory, KAMALA HARRIS

Our Champion for Democracy
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Offsetting Musk's evil influence

As a Tesla owner (we actually have two now), I feel an extra responsibility to donate to and work for our Champion for Democracy, Kamala Harris, and other Democrats up and down the ticket, especially in swing states, in order to offset the evil asshole Elon Musk's promise to contribute $45 million to help Fascism win in our country. There are all kinds of horrible ironies here, but I can only do the most I can to help ensure we save Democracy, and that's what I intend to do. 

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 Thank you, Joe Biden, for your service. 
On to victory, KAMALA HARRIS

Our Champion for Democracy
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Time to unify behind Harris's candidacy

I get the desire to have an "open convention," etc., but the need for our party to unify and concentrate on defeating fascism is so vital that I want to see former president Obama and all other prominent Democrats endorsing Harris immediately. There were quite a few yesterday, but they need to do what the Republicans used to be famous for: falling in line. After all, primary voters voted for Biden/Harris... this withdrawal is much like any other event that makes it necessary for the chosen "spare" to step in. After all, that is the only real reason (other than breaking ties in the Senate) we even have a vice president. 

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 Thank you, Joe Biden, for your service. 
On to victory, KAMALA HARRIS

Our Champion for Democracy
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Democratic Unity to SAVE DEMOCRACY

As you can see from my new signature panel, I am abandoning "polite nonpartisanship." Patriotism is supporting democracy. Fascism is treason. Supporting Donald Trump is unacceptable. If this offends you, tough. You can block me or delete my e-mails. 

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 Thank you, Joe Biden, for your service. 
On to victory, KAMALA HARRIS

Our Champion for Democracy
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On to victory!

I think Joe Biden was a much better president than most of us thought he would be. And his sacrifice of his own personal interest in the interests of our country is literally heroic. I have just signed up to contribute $100/mo. to the HARRIS campaign from now till the election and will personally do everything I reasonably can to help ensure that she wins in November, and brings a Democratic House and Senate along with her. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your service and integrity. Now, on to victory! We will defeat Fascism and begin the reaffirmation and restoration of democracy in our nation! 

Defeat in this election is UNTHINKABLE

We have a crisis of leadership in America, but the global trend towards authoritarianism is not a "done deal." Far from it. The center left won a landslide in Britain, and less than a week later, also won a solid victory in France. We must take this as an affirmation, and strive mightily for victory for democracy here. I have come to believe that the best path forward... would have to be immediately ... is for Biden to acknowledge that he has lost confidence and needs to step aside, become the elder statesman, and let the convention choose someone else to carry this torch to victory in November. But even if he doesn't do that, we absolutely cannot allow the forces of the far right, which to a great extent are using Trump as a tool for their fascist agenda, to succeed. Never give up. Fight like our democracy depends on it, because it does, period.

Tesla set to be a bigger energy co. thru battery storage than it is a car company: comments

See Electric Viking's video apropos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf7LxMp9e3k

I celebrate the technology, but I have to say under the laws we supposedly enforce, Tesla being third in American auto mfg., and being a huge player in power grid technology is pretty well along into illegal monopolistic practices. Whether there is any political will to do anything about that is highly dubious. It seems politicians of whatever stripe have no problem with monopolies, or at least oligopolies, as long as they keep the money flowing inside USA. 

What is even more interesting though is the extent to which worldwide energy system technology is becoming heavily dependent on (if not dominated by) China. (Tesla is almost as much a Chinese company as it is an American company). With the MAGA fascists promising trade war with China, seems to me Xi Jin Ping would want Chinese influence to favor the Democrats. Contrary to conventional wisdom. But Democrats have a huge advantage: they are more or less guided by reality, not paranoid delusions. I believe whatever else they may be, those who lead China are pretty clear eyed about geopolitics and how the world economy works. That may not always be said of their American counterparts. They have bet heavily on technological development, and it is paying off for them. Whether we are going to be able to do likewise in the coming decades is very much open to question. 

 

A different perspective on atmospheric CO2

Something I don't usually try to talk about too me, since it seems so contra. I read a terrific book a few years ago about the evolution of the atmosphere (Oxygen: A Four Billion Year History by Donald E. Canfield) which pointed out something that had never occurred to me. The rock cycle, which is the transition of rocks in the crust from various processes, mostly related to plate tectonics, is what makes our planet the really extraordinary geological system that it is. And it includes the sequestration as carbonate rocks resulting from biological processes, of a truly enormous amount of carbon dioxide. Mars' and Venus' atmospheres are mostly Carbon dioxide. But Earth's is almost all rock. Think how finely balanced that is. Without that little bit of carbon dioxide, it would be very very chilly on this planet and life would be much constrained. Thing is, for the last 50 million years or so, up until about 1780, that little bit was mostly slowly but surely falling towards zero. This is one of the main reasons that for the last 2 ½ million years (a fairly short time, so a recent paradigm shift), the Earth has been mostly glaciated down to about 50° latitude. (The arrangement of continents and ocean currents is the other principal reason). The rock cycle is failing, or better to say, the carbon sequestration in the crust is nearing totality. This is bad for life in any number of ways, not least of which is organisms cannot make either food or oxygen in the absence of CO2 in the atmosphere. Along comes humanity and upsets the applecart. CO2 levels start to RISE. The earth warms (returning to mean if you look at the last 50 million years). Any threat of insufficient CO2 for metabolism and photosynthesis averted! Yay! Humanity learns that it can, and must, steward the atmosphere so the great carbon depletion extinction is averted forever! Hurrah!

Well, that doesn't square well with the climate message, which is, too fast! too poisonous! crisis! slow down!... but somehow that message is hard enough to convey without complicating the issue with the simple fact that in the long run, stabilizing and maybe even living with a somewhat higher level of CO2 is optimal, and we really probably have permanently averted what would have been, based on precedent, a fairly rapid progression of the next ice age in the relatively near future. Of course, that doesn't change one bit the urgency with which humanity must act to avert the catastrophic instability and possible collapse that could result in allowing the levels to rapidly rise to extreme levels. And in this, although the greatly reduced cost recently of renewable energy is certainly a plus, it remains the fact that our race to net zero is being lost, and we are likely to have to pull out stops which are themselves chaotic and unpredictable, including direct mitigation efforts. But one way or another, I think it likely that there will be a path forward. We will always have to pay attention to our emissions, but the science is pretty clear, and people, after reality has bitten them squarely on the ass, do eventually do what is optimal. 

Debate Postmortem

I didn't even watch the debate. I was having a bad day and just couldn't bring myself to watch it. I get it... it was a train wreck. It legitimately highlighted the fact that Biden is an 82 year old with fairly normal age-related infirmity. Such people have been kings and emperors, and presidents and prime ministers, many times throughout history and often they benefited themselves and their countries enormously from their wisdom and experience. For myself, I have no concerns at all that Biden is not perfectly qualified and capable of being president for another four years. And if something were to happen, Harris could and would step in and be a fine replacement. That is, after all, why we have a vice president. It's really the only reason we have a vice president. 

Do I worry? Of course I worry. I worry that the arrogant bullying dominance of a partially demented, abusive, stupid, utterly selfish malignant narcissist makes the thoughtful elder statesman look weak, and that millions upon millions of people who only respond to dominance and "strength" will see him as the "winner," when in fact he's the most mendacious menace ever to have a serious shot at the presidency... again. Despite having attempted an actual insurrection. 

This is a calamity. (So is the Supreme Court, but that's another issue). But what to do? Wring our hands? Accept defeat and hope somehow our country can eventually reconstitute itself? 

Hell, no. Our job of reaching out to the good in people, getting enough of them to see reason and see that electing an actual criminal to the White House... again... would be foolish to such an extreme that it well might mean the effective end of the American republic founded on democratic principles. Which would be extremely bad not just for our country but for the whole world. We simply cannot give up; cannot lessen our effort, but instead must redouble our efforts. Everyone needs to get involved. It is a fight for the survival of our way of life my friends, and the stakes could not be higher. 

Please do not give up. Please think seriously about what you can do to help make sure we do not have to undergo the ordeal of a second Trump presidency. A test our nearly 250 year old jerrybuilt republic just might fail. 

 

Losing our rights, step by step

It's very simple. If the captured, illegitimate Supreme Court ends up overturning Obergefell v. Hodges which made my marriage possible, I will never again visit any of the red states that vote for Trump in 2024. Not even the damn airport on a stopover. I can only hope that it remains possible to live in my state. Yeah, it is that bad. If you doubt it, note that in his "concurrence" in Dobbs, the most corrupt and authoritarian Supreme Court justice in at least a century, Thomas, explicitly mentions that Obergefell reversal is on the chopping block. 

And this is a big part of my motivation to work to ensure Biden is re-elected. Not that Biden is willing to expand the court, which I regard as the only feasible solution, but at least he's on the right side of history and there's room for progress. 

Netanyahu's regime deserves NO American support

I make no secret of my disdain and outright opposition to the right wing government of Israel, and its deliberate slow walking of opportunities for an end to the Gaza war, as well as its overt favoring of the Trump faction in our country. So when I read the headline in WaPo that says Netanyahu blasts US for slow weapons deliveries, my immediate response is How about NO damn weapons deliveries, Bibi? Israel is not facing an existential threat as a result of this war. A defensive response to October 7 was obviously justified, but this regime has gone way beyond that and made clear its unwillingness to work for a two-state solution. So, as an American, I believe the correct course is to cut them off, both financially and militarily, until such time as they are willing to work for and not against a peace process. Maybe Netanyahu can get help from Kim Jong Un. 

The fight of our political lives

I think of myself as fairly tuned in to the political crisis in America, and fairly clear eyed about the dangers, and the opportunities. I worry a lot about widespread misperception of Biden as impaired when he is (I hold, obviously) pretty darn sharp, even not taking his age into account. The media, and not just Newsmax and Fox, are selectively focusing on images that appear to show a bumbling old man when what he actually is is an old man with normal frailty of age, but mental acuity and comprehension and level of energy that many forty year olds lack. And he is clearly, domestically at any rate, the most progressive president since Johnson, maybe even since FDR. And of course, you have to get folks to ask themselves, compared to what? Compared to the wannabe dictator malignant narcissist convicted criminal serial abuser crook in rapid decline with what appears to be vascular dementia, himself 78 and not looking well physically at all? Who cannot focus his mind on a single subject for the length of a sentence and actually has no ideas, no understanding of policy, and no respect or even awareness of the principles of democracy on which our republic is supposed to operate? Yeah, that one. 

I'm hoping the debate (if Schlump shows up) will put this contrast in stark relief. There are hints that the obvious, and I mean obvious, contrast between these two people, and the really revolting egotism and sheer nastiness that is all he is these days, will be just unavoidable to see. I suspect even if he does show up, there will not be another debate. This will be it. 

I also worry about another egotist with no real understanding of the stakes or the historic predicament we find ourselves in; someone who has obviously gone down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and junk science to the point where his judgment, and even his mental health, appear to be compromised to the point of failure. I speak of RFK Jr. of course, who has no chance at all of winning even one state, but who has a lot of money and who could, just could, drain away enough votes from Biden that Biden could win the popular vote by 10 million votes and still lose this election. That would be a terrible tragedy, and I have no real idea what to do about it, other than to hammer away at why unity matters so much and why this is a classic case of a spoiler. I keep saying to people I think might be susceptible to the allure of the Kennedy name, his own family is working to defeat him, and a vote for RFK Jr is a vote for Trump. (The same being true of votes for Cornel West or the Putin stooge Jill Stein...it's just the way our elections, unfortunately, are structured constitutionally). 

In the meantime, I'm using what money I feel I can spare not only to contribute to Biden's campaign but to tight Congressional and Senate races around the country. We have a chance here to not only save Democracy but actually have a governing majority starting in 2025. Courage my friends. Much is at stake. Victory is far from assured. But the fight, and the sacrifice, is worth it. 

National Justice Law Podcast and Strange New Worlds

I listen to the really excellent National Security Law Podcast (when they deign to drop an episode now and then), put on by bigwig law professors Bobby (yes, Bobby, not Robert) Chesney and Steve Vladeck, originally from Texas, and not much over half my age. After 5 min. of blather, they finally get to the subject, in which, as I said, they excel. But when, at the end, as they invariably do, they start talking about getting their kids into elite schools, Star Wars and Star Trek spinoff shows, and (UGH!) sports, I usually tune out. Although their recommendation of Star Trek Strange New Worlds just might get me to subscribe to Paramount+ for a couple months. 

Both these esteemed gentlemen have become minor MSNBC-type celebrities, because they really know their stuff. The overgrown teenage boy personas notwithstanding. 

Eight Verses for Training the Mind

As a rather lapsed Buddhist practitioner, I value greatly the medieval Tibetan Geshe Langri Tangpa's Eight Verses for Training the Mind,* which I consider to be a statement of unalloyed wisdom and compassion. Moreover, it isn't really religious; it makes no assertions or implications of requirement for belief in any supernatural phenomena or supreme beings. It is simply a statement of philosophy, or, rather, moral verity and aspiration for relief from suffering for all, from a particular point of view.

Nonetheless, I would understand and agree with a public school finding that its teachers must not put up a copy of it in the classroom, with the implication of official endorsement, because doing so would run counter to our American tradition (and law) as a republic founded on principles including the freedom of (and from) religion in public life.

I find it troubling that, after nearly 250 years of settled law and tradition, the Legislature and governor of the State of Louisiana seem to think it's not only all right but legally permissible to post and lend official endorsement to the Ten Commandments, an explicitly monotheistic religious text. This text is not only not sacred to all, but it contains several morally dubious declarations. When I was in school, the separation of church and state was explained as a vital principle of American life, and was adhered to scrupulously. What happened? 

In my personal opinion, young people would benefit from being exposed to Langri Tangpa's verses more than to Moses' authoritarian and patriarchal text. But as both are of necessity deemed to be religious texts, neither (nor any other such) can be permitted to be officially endorsed in public education. This is not difficult to understand or unclear. Those who insist on promulgating their religion under the imprimatur of governmental authority obviously do not really believe in or support the democratic principles that are supposed to undergird our Constitution and legal framework. And that, friends, is not only wrong, it is sad.

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*Eight Verses for Training the Mind, by Geshe Langri Tangpa (1023–1123)

1.  By thinking of all sentient beings
As more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel
For accomplishing the highest aim,
I will always hold them dear.

2.  Whenever I'm in the company of others,
I will regard myself as the lowest among all,
And from the depths of my heart
Cherish others as supreme.

3.  In my every action, I will watch my mind,
And the moment destructive emotions arise,
I will confront them strongly and avert them,
Since they will hurt both me and others.

4.  Whenever I see ill-natured beings,
Or those overwhelmed by heavy misdeeds or suffering,
I will cherish them as something rare,
As though I'd found a priceless treasure.

5.  Whenever someone out of envy
Does me wrong by attacking or belittling me,
I will take defeat upon myself,
And give the victory to others.

6.  Even when someone I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hopes
Mistreats me very unjustly,
I will view that person as a true spiritual teacher.

7.  In brief, directly or indirectly,
I will offer help and happiness to all my mothers,
And secretly take upon myself
All their hurt and suffering.

8.  I will learn to keep all these practices
Untainted by thoughts of the eight worldly concerns.
May I recognize all things as like illusions,
And, without attachment, gain freedom from bondage.

A choice

I choose to believe... possibly naively... that when it comes down to actually voting for the demented delusional Fascist malignant narcissistic abusive crook  or the experienced old guy who knows how to get stuff done and takes governance of a republic by the rules seriously, a strong majority will choose the sane guy. 

The choice of a third party candidate is mathematically equivalent in almost all contingencies as a vote for the Fascist. I just hope enough people who are attracted to the Kennedy name, despite the fact that RFK Jr. is almost as nutso butso as Trump, realize that you're not just throwing your vote away, you're voting for Trump for all intents and purposes. 

Esoteric discussion with an AI LLM

Some few of my farflung correspondents might take an interest in this "Short Dialog with ChatGPT on Fermi and the Likelihood that Civilization in the Universe was More Common in the Distant Past than Now"

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 AUTHORITARIANISM IS UNAMERICAN
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We cannot afford to just accept the unacceptable status of the Supreme Court

Once more, I just don't get it. OK, we don't have the votes. Yet. But, assuming optimistically that we can get both houses and the presidency, is there any good reason why the Supreme Court should not be subjected to some course correction? Norms? Seriously? The Fascists have trashed all norms, so just innate reluctance to change anything is not a reason not to. The following can be done without a Constitutional amendment, and assumes only that we end the filibuster once and for all, which we should:

1.  Impose strict ethical standards. $50 maximum gift, just like Congress. Recusal mandatory on any case where it would be required of any other federal judge (or any judge anywhere in the US, for that matter; why should the highest court be the least ethically constrained? There is no good reason, so no more weaseling around. Say right in the statute that "violation of ethical standards applicable to the Federal judiciary shall be considered misdemeanor and grounds for impeachment under the existing language of the Constitution." Sometimes legislative intent needs to be explicitly stated; and the fact is the Constitution already gives Congress the power to determine what the jurisdiction of the Courts is, and to set standards for their orderly administration. It's just nuts to argue this doesn't give the Congress the right to decide what kind of conduct warrants its own exercise of the impeachment power. 

2. Adopt the principle of one justice for each judicial circuit, which we had until fairly recently. There are now 13 circuits. The Congress should increase the size of the Supreme Court to 13. It takes only a statute, signed by the president. That's it. Should be done as soon as possible, highest priority. I believe a majority will support this if it's presented correctly. 

3.  Seriously look at some restrictions on what the jurisdiction of the court entails. The court needs to accept that the Congress can make laws that entail significant regulation of commerce to protect the public. The court should not be able to simply ignore all precedent and take away established constitutional rights. This is tricky, but just throwing up our hands and doing nothing is not an option. 

4.  While justices serve "for life" (actually during "good behavior"), the Constitution does not explicitly say that means they serve on the Supreme Court for life. We should look carefully at the constitutionality of rotating judges from the DC Circuit onto the Supreme Court, and then back off again, after a term of 5 or ten years. This might not be feasible but it should be looked at. 

5.  Finally, while it can't be done without a Constitutional amendment, we need to start at least thinking about, and planning a judicial reform Constitutional Amendment, or set of them. 10 year non-renewable terms for all Federal judges. Explicit duty to protect democracy and voting rights. There are any number of things, but the point is we need to seriously consider the reforms to be made, draft the proposed amendments, and work assiduously, even if it takes a generation, to get them passed. 

Thanks for listening to my rant, but I mean every word. The current situation is a disaster, and we need to start working on fixing it. 

Thomas must be impeached ... and/or PROSECUTED

Why are we beating around the bush? Of course we don't have the votes (yet), but, look, folks. Clarence Thomas has effectively admitted to accepting bribes. Equivocation be damned. It's corruption with a capital K. He must be impeached, convicted, and removed from office. No matter how long or how many attempts it takes. The only alternative is a 'forced resignation,' but given the pugnacious arrogance of these right wingers, who believe in nothing but themselves and their mean spirited and selfish ideology, that's not gonna happen. 

There have even been quite serious suggestions by people who know the law that he should be referred for criminal prosecution. Now. Because his "forgetting" to report more than a million dollars worth of "gifts" (bribes) is not an oversight. It's not just grounds for impeachment. It's a crime, and a very serious one that should land him in prison for the rest of his miserable, disreputable existence. 

 Alito... well, we'll see. His case is egregious but not quite as clear cut. 

Joe Biden.... of course.

I feel a certain amount of alienation, as an older forever-Democrat. I was for Bernie in 2016 (voted for Clinton in November), Warren in the primaries in 2020 (voted for Biden, naturally). I'm a solidly Progressive-wing Democrat. Like Bernie, I'm deeply troubled by US toleration of what I regard as war-crime level asymmetry in the Israeli response to Hammas terrorism. (But note: no one is doing more to help Biden get re-elected than Bernie). So you would think I would be in sync with the many younger voters who say they are lukewarm about voting, because they "don't like either candidate." 

Huhhh? Whaaat? My reaction is just the opposite. Biden, to me, is making serious errors on Israel policy, but domestically, and otherwise with regard to foreign policy (like Ukraine), he's done better than I hoped or expected. I like Biden better in 2024 than I did in 2020. 

But, regardless, you simply have to look at the alternative. The election of Donald Trump (again) would be an utter catastrophe for our country and the whole world. I had a bumper sticker made that just says "Joe Biden... of course." And for me, that says it all. 

Fight of our national life

It seems all the big Democratic cheerleaders, Simon Rosenberg, James Carville, Lawrence O'Donnell, etc., are all advocating "taking the gloves off." Focus groups and polling all seem to indicate that the key to this election is to stop Trump, not to positively decide on Biden. I won't even attempt to convince any doubters that, overall, and with major exceptions, Biden has actually been a good president (especially domestically), who has accomplished more for the progressive agenda than any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson, who had the same foreign/domestic schizoid problems. Other Democrats, including even Obama, made the mistake of trying to be "moderate" but also failing to appeal directly to the patriotism of Americans. 

But now, the Republicans have morphed into a literal Fascist cult. If you don't believe it, I commend Rachel Maddow's work (most recently Ultra podcast) that highlights how this has happened before too, but just outside of living memory for the most part. And the circumstances were different. We have Great Power politics again, almost like WWI, but we don't have the unifying existential threat of a Nazi Germany threatening Fascistic domination of the whole world. Quite. 

Yet the MAGA cult is indeed evil. It is completely inimical to the principles of the American republic. I'm not saying Trump supporters are evil, but they are caught up in a cult of personality of a man who has no moral compunction, no restraint, no empathy, no concern for the future or even the country; just himself. And that, in a would be leader, is the very face of evil. 

So, gloves off. Fight them in every legal way. Cede nothing. Focus on what it takes to win, but cede no territory, no victory. Pray it doesn't come to violence, but if it does, their insurrection must be defeated, by force if necessary. 

Our republic is under threat from within as others have tried, in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, but this is worse, far worse. We could, we really could, lose our republic. So every single right thinking American must get involved to make sure that does not happen. 

For me, this is straining some friendships and relationships. But that's just too bad. This is a fight for our national life, and no one can stand in the way of victory and get a pass. 

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The military and Trump

Not politically correct to note, but a good part of the rank and file of the US military comes from the Trumpen Proletariat (as a friend of mine coined the term). But when Trump untruths "Biden hates the military," he is, as usual, projecting. When it comes to the leadership of the military, by and large, I believe the truth is that most of them recognize that Trump is disloyal, and has no commitment to the Constitution which is the only loyalty military officers are required to swear an oath for. (Not to any individual person, and certainly not personally to a president). So the reality is not that Biden hates the military. It's that the military hates Trump. And this will definitely benefit right thinking Americans who will do everything we can to defeat the threats to our democracy. 

Time for a Course Correction?

I think it's time for provisions similar to the way the Federal Communications Act USED TO work (when we had "equal time"), to be restored and made applicable to cable news, social media, and even the dark web. I will never understand why we can't have "rules of the road," like we used to for the public airwaves, for the internet. Sure, we let it get out of control. So what do rational people do? Throw up their hands and just surrender to perdition? Or do we TAKE BACK CONTROL, prevent constant disinformation, and make the carriers responsible for content? The fact that authoritarian regimes like China have this power and use it to suppress free expression doesn't mean we have to do what they do. But it does prove that it's perfectly possible to control access to the internet by bad actors, protect free speech but not allow nefarious forces to illicitly control what people see and hear on the net.

Supreme Court reform

New revelations of additional large value "gifts" that the worst Supreme Court justice in living memory, Clarence Thomas, "forgot" to report. Gifts which any reasonable person would have to acknowledge have the "appearance of conflict of interest." (For the simple reason that they would probably be simply called "bribery" back in the time of the drafting of the Constitution). I'm biased, I suppose, but I ask the question: we control the Senate. Why are there not hearings to investigate this? Now!? And once we win back the House, as a citizen I will be demanding that the People's House must impeach this obvious miscreant tout de suite. Next up: Alito, for similar but not identical reasons. 

On a related subject, as I see it, the only way for trust in the Court to be restored is to adopt the idea that there should be one Supreme Court justice for each of the appellate circuits. There are now 13 of them... up from... you guessed it... nine, in the last generation. Time to increase  the size of the Court (legislation, only, no amendment to the Constitution required). To 13. And the recently re-elected president should get the 4 appointments (six if the Senate convicts Alito and Thomas, but, well, that's probably a long shot, even if we do manage to hold the Senate). Time to take the gloves off. 

Still rather be us than them

Simon Rosenberg's latest take on where we are in the epic battle to ensure the Orange Hitler is not made president by our fundamentally undemocratic presidential selection system. (Sorry for the editorial). 

https://youtu.be/wxdNsOaDXv0?si=FJukQY4-gMUM40TS

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 AUTHORITARIANISM IS UNAMERICAN
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Trump, as convicted felon, kicked off ballot in some states?

I noted on Talkingpointsmemo.com that the State of Washington prohibits convicted felons who have not had their rights restored from running for office. This would not have a huge effect on the election, since there's no way Donald Trump could win Washington anyway. But it occurred to me to ask ChatGPT (not 100% reliable, but basically usually accurate) about other states with similar laws. Here is its response.

  There are some states with specific laws concerning felons running for public office, although the details can vary widely from state to state:

 

Florida: Convicted felons must have their civil rights restored to be eligible to run for public office.
Virginia: Requires the restoration of civil rights for eligibility, and in some cases, a pardon is required specifically to restore the eligibility to seek public office.
Kentucky: Convicted felons need a pardon to restore their eligibility to run for public office, depending on the nature of their crimes.
Nevada: Individuals convicted of a felony are disqualified from holding any state office unless they have received an official pardon. [This would presumably not apply to presidential candidates.]
Connecticut: Individuals convicted of specific felony charges (corrupt practices related to public office or voting) are permanently barred from holding public office unless they receive a pardon.
Louisiana: Felons must wait five years after completing their sentence before they can qualify to run for public office unless they have received a pardon that specifically restores these rights.
Mississippi: Convicted felons are barred from running for public office unless pardoned or their rights are restored by the state legislature through a bill of relief.

 

  These laws are subject to changes, and other states might also have various restrictions, so it's always good to check the most current and applicable laws or consult with a legal expert for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

I can think of ways especially red states can, and probably will, "fix" this from Trump's point of view, but it's an interesting new wrinkle in the whole scenario of whether America is about to elect its first full-on fascist would-be dictator, or not. Interesting times.

(One issue not addressed, which may apply in Florida, is that states may have comity with other states such that if the felon would not be barred in the state where convicted, these state laws might not apply).

Why the Trump conviction is important

I see the choice of Donald Trump for president as almost unthinkable, so I have a difficult time empathizing with those who are likely to make that choice. Which makes me a lousy predictor of what might influence them.

But, purely objectively, I would say that the fact that Trump was quite easily convicted of all counts against him in a case that was somewhat novel in its use of the New York statute (with election interference the underlying criminal motivation making the business records crimes felonies), makes his eventual conviction more likely in the January 6 case, the Georgia RICO case, and, especially, the open and shut Mar a Lago stolen docs case (assuming in-his-pocket Judge Cannon fails ultimately in her attempt to derail the case entirely). And this, it seems to me, is yet another reason (among many, many reasons) why ordinary common-sense Americans might think twice before pulling the lever for this sociopath. It could not be more obvious that one of his principal objectives in running for president is to have the power to throw out these cases before they even go to trial. This kind of strong-arm corruption is so inimical to our system of laws and governance that I truly want to believe a significant number of potential Trump voters... marginal but in an election decided on the margins significant...will see through this and realize that this run for office is yet another grift by a grifter who's been two steps ahead of the law his entire criminal and quasi-criminal career. Until now.

So, hell yes: this conviction on 34 felony counts is important.

Give Collins no pass

I did not follow the Trump Election Interference/Falsified Business Records (calling a spade a spade) case all that closely, but closely enough that I regard it as a pretty good example of the justice system working exactly the way it's supposed to, despite a defendant who committed multiple jury and witness intimidation contempts of court and mostly got away with it, and who showed no regard or respect for the jury or the judge, not to mention any hint of remorse or shame. So, when Susan Collins, who loves to pretend she's above all the MAGA BS and is a "good Republican," comes out and attacks the lawful verdict of the jury, stating completely falsely that Alvin Bragg "campaigned on getting Trump," that can't just be dismissed or tolerated. She should be called on it by every news outlet until she apologizes. (Although not true of her either, really, Collins was probably thinking of Letitia James... Bragg is much, much too careful to have created such an easily alleged "appearance of impropriety".) When one of the two major political parties is calling the entire judicial process (except for the MAGA Supreme Court of course) into question, our republic is in deep distress. 

Stop with all the Self-defeating Speculation Already !

As is usual for Democrats, many people are speculating that this guilty verdict will somehow help Trump. I'm pretty tired of all this self-defeating blather, especially about Biden's age, etc. etc. But look. A felony conviction during the election run up is not helpful to any candidate. Even Trump. Sure, the hardcore Trump cultists will see him as some kind of freak martyr. But people who (foolishly, but anyway) support Trump out of some kind of belief he will be better for their interests (including many economic and social issue conservatives) are going to see this is a very bad thing. 

Flipping the House (and keeping the White House and Senate)

I just contributed via Vote Save America to 11 critical House races. https://votesaveamerica.com/donate/#the-house 

I intend to do the same for the Senate, and of course am planning to do whatever I can to help preserved democracy in our country and defeat Donald Trump!

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 AUTHORITARIANISM IS UNAMERICAN
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America's less than stellar future

I have, with heavy heart, come to the conclusion that the divisions in our country are so deep and so emotionally engraved in our ... respective ... collective psyches, that no election result or even decade or two of stability will cure it. The old division, largely but not entirely economic, and largely but not entirely based on the fundamental disagreement as to whether slavery should or should not be tolerated, that separated the South from the North in the Civil War, never really went away. There is no postracial America. There is a liberal... in the best sense... America, and an America that craves autocracy and authoritarianism. Even the liberal faction has embraced a form of laissez faire capitalism that is sapping our intellectual and innovative genius, and separating us into a society of wealth and an underclass that has no real opportunity to rise beyond a certain level. The two views, with all their appurtenant lifestyle and ideological divides, are simply irreconcilable. We will, if we are to survive as a nation, be like Turkiye or China. A nation of multiple nationalities, who do not really cohere as a culture, but, through the institutions of power, simply tolerate one another and divide regionally into very different cultures. It perhaps didn't need to be this way, but I'm convinced it is this way, and will not change soon. The White Nationalists, for want of a better word, feel deeply threatened because they have become a minority, which, just barely, due to the deliberate inequities built into the Constitution originally to placate them, has the possibility of gaining and retaining power over the national government, to rule the whole of the nation by force and diktat. And they are going to try this. Over and over again until they either succeed or are ultimately and firmly relegated to permanent, and perhaps to some extent protected, minority status. The sad thing is that this will sap our country of much of its greatness, harm our economy and even our military strength. Perhaps the hubris of the... now past... "American Century" has brought us this karmic retribution. But however our nation survives and moves forward, whether as an oligarchic republic or as an outright authoritarian state, we will be the weaker, and the less able to claim to have fulfilled the ideals that once were the coin of our realm ideologically. We are doomed, I fear, to be less than the potential we had as recently as my youth. 

 

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COMMIT TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY 

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Threat, not vibes

I have a friend who is justifiably upset about what you might call the "late night comedy" aspect of the Trump/MAGA phenomenon. His point is that making of light of what is actually a serious and deadly threat to the very institution of our form of government is actually harmful. It helps the would-be insurrectionists. 

So I'll get serious. Biden needs to give a speech entirely devoted to the domestic threats, including but not limited to MAGA, which threaten to derail the economic recovery he has gotten underway, and the restoration of norms of small-r republican government that Trumpism seems so anxious to utterly annihilate. He, and the Democrats in Congress, in open preparation for taking control of both Houses, need to announce Voting Rights and anti-Gerrymandering legislation. He needs to call out the Supreme Court for its failure to adhere to the law, in showing not only an ideological agenda with no basis other than politics, and in showing outright favoritism to the insurrection faction. You can have disagreements. You can have swings from "conservative" to "liberal" interpretations of the Constitution and legal framework. But you cannot have justices who overtly support insurrection and the overturning of fair elections. 

If we cannot take seriously that the continuity of our form of government is under threat, then we may very well lose it. "Vibes" aren't what should be determining this election. A serious consideration of the gravest risk to our republic since the Civil War is what should be determining it. 

Roberts/Alito

If Roberts had a single minim of integrity, and the slightest phantom of scrotal fortitude (pardon the expression), he would inform Alito as follows:  Look, Sam, you've screwed the pooch. I'll give it to you straight. Recuse from everything to do with the Orange One, and announce you're doing so. Or I will publicly announce I've asked you to and do not a thing to prevent you being impeached next time the Dems have both houses... which could be 2025. It's actually a pretty damn good case. 

Much the same, but for an already thoroughly discussed but different reason, can be said about Thomas. 

I know, I know. In my dreams. But the "verdict of history"? Right there in front of you. Trouble is the more empirical and rational society that writes the real "history" of our time may be a good while off, and might even be the successors.... you know... after the Fall. 

Trump dementia

It's really remarkable to watch clips of the Orange Menace even from just 4 years ago, when he was spouting incoherent bullshit about "people dying of all kinds of things" and how "you know what Obama is guilty of, just read the papers (except yours)" (What about absolute presidential immunity, Donnie?). It was incoherent, unfocused, and malignant. But compare it to today. Just this weekend, Trump thought a useful thing to say at a rally in New Jersey was to congratulate the "late, great Hannibal Lecter" in a completely incoherent vomiting of utter nonsense that went on and on. It was too much even for most of the rally goers, a good percentage of whom left while he was still speaking. 

Seriously, one of the things that makes me optimistic about this election is that it is increasingly obvious that DJT is gradually sinking into honest to God dementia. Several prominent neuropsychiatrists (Gartner, Segal, Bandy Lee, Zoffman, others) have said that he is clearly displaying alarming symptoms of accelerating dementia. Gartner went so far as to say he appears near the catastrophic meltdown point, where he will be unable to even "pass". The phonemic aphasia and complete inability to focus on a topic and speak coherently about it are growing worse and worse. I think it likely that enough people will see through this that, even if they formerly were receptive to his weird kind of charisma, they will say to themselves, hell, this guy is losing it... we can't elect somebody this bad to the presidency!

The essence of small-d democracy

"I've presented my case to the American people and I hope and have confidence I will win the election fair and square. But if I don't, then, of course, I will congratulate the winner. That is how it works in a republic governed by democratic principles."

See? That's not so hard. But the Fascist party and its malignant narcissist cult leader can't or won't say it. And that disqualifies them completely. If you don't see that, you don't really care about democracy yourself. Please think about it. 

Unions coming back

I regard the UAW unionization victory at VW in Tennessee (probably soon to be followed by a similar victory at Mercedes in Alabama)... as a watershed. Tesla, Amazon, Starbucks, tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple ... you're next. 

As a longtime white collar (thus nonunion) employee, I have always known that the only reason we even had benefits, fair work rules, reasonable hours (such as weekends off), overtime, etc. is because of the blood, sweat and tears of union organizers and workers in the past. 

 

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COMMIT TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY 

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Data from exoplanet research points to a "rare earth" conclusion

I know I harp on this a lot, but it amuses me and I honestly believe this kind of "cosmic view" of our planetary predicament is not only a good thing, it is vital to our ability to understand our problems and devise strategies to actually solve them sustainably. If it doesn't interest you, the delete button is on the upper right and no need to belabor the point.  

I asked ChatGPT this: 

You

Would it be accurate to say that exoplanet data has led to the conclusion that planets, and planetary systems, are more variable, and thus less like the Solar System, in general and on average, than had previously been thought? And, therefore, that planets closely resembling Earth, with large liquid water oceans, plate tectonics, and at least the potential for the continued existence of carbon based life over very long periods of time, need to be considered quite rare in the population of disk stars, many of which in other respects may closely resemble the Sun?

And ChatGPT answered thus:

Yes, it would be accurate to make such a statement. Observations of exoplanets have indeed shown that planetary systems exhibit a remarkable diversity, much greater than what was anticipated based on our Solar System alone. Many exoplanets discovered do not fit into the neat categories previously envisaged from our Solar System's structure. For instance, the discovery of "hot Jupiters" (gas giants that orbit very close to their stars) and "super Earths" (rocky planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune) challenged our conventional understanding of planetary system formation.

These findings imply that systems similar to our Solar System might be less common than once thought. When it comes to Earth-like planets, while many have been found in the habitable zone (where conditions could potentially allow liquid water to exist), the additional conditions necessary for Earth-like life—such as significant liquid water oceans, plate tectonics, and a stable climate system—are not easily inferred from distance observations alone. These factors contribute to the complex environments needed for life as we know it, suggesting that truly Earth-like planets could indeed be rare among the vast array of planetary systems.

Thus, the growing catalog of exoplanet characteristics has indeed led to a broader understanding that while star-like our Sun may be common, planets with conditions similar to Earth might be much rarer in the universe. This adds an important perspective to our search for extraterrestrial life and the study of planetary habitability.

 

Caveat: ChatGPT is, I've observed, somewhat susceptible to "leading questions," of which this might be considered an ultimate example.  ChatGPT lacks consciousness, which, unfortunately, means that to a considerable extent it lacks what you might call judgment, or discretion. Still, I think the answer is pretty consistent with the published information. It really is true that up until around 2000 it was generally thought that the Solar System, with its four inner "rocky" and four outer "gas" planets, was typical, but, well, it just isn't, as we now know, from well over 1500 fairly well defined example systems. And planets even within these categories (plus the entirely missing here category of "Super Earth") -- vary enormously, and, usually, not in a way conducive to the abiogenetic origin and persistence of carbon based life for long time periods. A lot of things have to go right, in a universe where "going wrong" is the norm (2d Law of Thermodynamics). 

I regard as a wake-up call the likelihood that life, and especially complex life, and even more especially intelligent life (whatever that loaded term may mean in the real world)... all are somewhere in the range of rare to exceedingly rare. The Copernican worldview, also known as the Principle of Mediocrity, while useful to science in many regards, cannot be taken too literally. In truth, the Sun is an unusually large and bright star (~90+ percentile). And the Earth is an extraordinarily rare and precious instance of a "bio-available" planet. My best guess is that fewer than 1 in 100,000 star systems have a planet that could be said to "closely" resemble Earth, even limiting consideration to merely physical and chemical similarities, without including the actual existence of complex life. Which may and probably will turn out to be another stringent limiting factor. I think it likely that fewer than 1 in a million or even 10 million star systems harbors a planet that could be considered closely comparable to Earth, and far fewer even than that that actually harbor intelligent living beings comparable to ourselves at the present epoch. Indeed, there are reasons to suppose it is unlikely that there is even one other such "currently inhabited by an intelligent species" world in this Galaxy. 

I feel we need to remind ourselves: We toy with the potential collapse of Earth's biosphere systems at our gravest peril. Literally everything we care about or have ever cared about is at stake, and science is telling us that we cannot take it for granted. Because for all intents and purposes there is only one Earth, and we will not find any solution to our problems of learning to live sustainably by expecting to find other worlds to just move to at some distant future date. That may eventually even happen, but not until and unless we figure out how to maintain our civilization with only the one world.  

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COMMIT TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY 

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David Wallace Wells on Ozempic and its relatives ...miracle drug?

I don't really know how much credence to give this, but it's interesting regardless. Not everyone can read behind the NYT payw=all. 

Ketamine and Kava... not so benign?

I'm not one to get all preachy about recreational, stimulant, anxiolytic, or mood-therapeutic use of drugs, but it really does seem that "they all have a catch." The only seemingly genuinely benign mood/stimulant drug is coffee (or tea or maté)(containing caffeine, plus there are a few other xanthines, such as theobromine, found in chocolate, and theophylline, which is also found in tea, along with caffeine, but in tiny quantities). But even those have their detractors. Anyway, the latest fad drug that even in pretty main line circles has gained a lot of acceptance, ketamine, turns out to have some pretty serious side effects, affecting the lining of the bladder: 

https://futurism.com/neoscope/ketamine-young-people-bladder.

It's only one article, but I would think long and hard before using this drug. 

Another one is kava, which is legal and sold in "kava bars." (Native to the "South Seas," and in use for centuries there, it contains at least 18 different related alkaloid kavalactones as the active ingredients, including kavain, methysticin, yangonin, and their molecular variants). I read (sorry don't have a citation) that it is associated with rather severe liver damage in some moderate to heavy users. You say "liver damage," and I tend to say, "no, thanks."

 

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COMMIT TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY 

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Cheapest form of new power sources?

Here's a pure-and-simple fact that is changing the world but most people, thanks to misleading media coverage, do not know:

The two cheapest forms of new grid-available electric power as of 2024 are  solar and wind, in that order (both combined with advanced storage technology).  

We will begin to make rapid progress towards a carbon neutral sustainable energy economy now that renewable energy is cheaper. 

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COMMIT TO PRESERVING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY 

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