Tag Archives: politics

Hip hip for Harvard

Posted on by 3 comments

Whether it was a high school football game on a Friday night or a college matchup you have probably all participated in a roaring cheer at one time or another. Anyone who has been following these posts for a while knows that I earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton many years ago where I cheered on many a Princeton team. The college cheer was in fact heard for the first time at the famous first ever college football game between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869.

I write that preamble so that you get the significance of my rousing cheer for Harvard, Princeton’s rival among rivals in the league of elite universities. It is special when a Princeton tiger is moved to compliment people who wear crimson robes. Harvard does have a mascot I am told. But it appears to be an inanimate statue of the school’s founder, which must look strange along the sidelines. I digress.

Read more

Deer in the Headlights

Posted on by Leave a comment

The expression “deer caught in the headlights” comes from the behavior of deer when they’re suddenly illuminated by a vehicle’s headlights at night. In such situations, deer often freeze in place, unable to move or make a decision, likely out of fear or confusion. Metaphorically, the phrase is used to describe someone who is paralyzed by surprise, fear, or panic, especially when they’re put on the spot or faced with an unexpected challenge. It is that moment of being visibly overwhelmed and unsure of how to respond. Much of the nation is caught in the headlights today.

Let’s start with the Republicans in Congress. The party of Lincoln has thrown in the towel. There are no Barry Goldwaters, Gerald Fords, or Nelson Rockefellers, Republicans who stood up to Richard Nixon. There are not even any Liz Chaneys or Adam Kinzingers, Republicans who stood up to Donald Trump after the January 6 insurrection. Today Republicans in Congress have abandoned their traditional legislative role, rubber-stamping actions taken by Donald Trump. This shift marks a significant departure from the principles of checks and balances that are foundational to the U.S. political system. The GOP is now the Trump-MAGA Party.

Read more

Trump on California, Burn

Posted on by Leave a comment

This is what our once and future president wrote this morning about the tragic fires in the Los Angeles area which have, as of this writing, taken two lives, forced tens of thousands out of their homes, and caused millions of dollars’ worth of property damage.

How can anyone be such a monster? And how could we have elected him once again?

Newsom‘s office has dismissed these claims as “pure fiction” and accused Trump of playing politics. The governor has focused on ensuring that firefighters have the resources they need to combat the fires.

Read more

Poor John Roberts

Posted on by One comment

John Roberts is annoyed. I had picked a stronger word, but Merriam-Webster says my word is considered vulgar in both Britian and the United States, so I chickened out.

Please take note. When the Chief Justice of the United States is annoyed he clearly expects us all to pay heed. I spent all of three seconds taking heed. And then began laughing uncontrollably.

Read more

Worry, But Be Happy

Posted on by Leave a comment

It is not unusual. But it is interesting. This year we celebrate Christmas, as usual, on December 25th. Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday is always celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday, is the wild card falling from late November to December. This year it begins at sunset, December 25th. So we have a triple header in the space of forty-eight hours.

I am tempted to note that confluence with a sense of hope, urging everyone to look to the season as a reason to be optimistic about the year about to start. To steal a line from singer-composer Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy“. I can’t do it. I can’t do it because I am very worried and very concerned about the year ahead.

But I do wish you the very best for the holiday. Let’s make the most of it.

#####

President Musk

Posted on by Leave a comment

What do you get the guy who has everything? Better still, what does the guy who has everything buy for himself? Elon Musk bought himself a president.

Musk spent about $277 million to back Donald Trump in his successful campaign to win a second term. In return, Trump apppointed Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former candidate turned rabid Trump supporter, to run the grandiosely named “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)“. This sounds official but in fact is a sort of advisory panel with no legal authority, charged by Trump to focus on regulating government spending and to cut regulations. How much influence Musk has is a function of how much attention Trump pays to him. It appears $277 million buys you a lot of attention.

Read more

Pardonnez-moi

Posted on by Leave a comment

Yes, he’s a liar. Yes, he’s a hypocrite. Let’s drive him out of office. Let’s forget that he brought us through the Covid crisis, stabilized the economy, passed laws designed to fund future growth and development, expanded healthcare and restored America’s standing among its allies. Let’s call him an old fool, a disgrace, and never vote for him again.

Wait a minute.

Excuse me if I don’t get on the bandwagon in the media and on both sides of the political divide in condemning President Joe Biden for pardoning his son Hunter. To steal a phrase (“Gone with the Wind”), frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »