Questions about a dark figure

 

The tranquility trump has stolen from our lives.

Why is everyone afraid of trump, handling him with kid gloves? He truly is the Teflon® man on whom nothing sticks. It’s beginning to look like even the 91 indictments won’t stick. Right now, I am indignant and furious over the image he posted of a hog-tied President Biden in the bed of a pickup. It is the most disturbing thing I’ve seen in a long time. Contrary to what trump spokesman Stephen Cheung claims, it was not just a pickup going down the road somewhere. It was an image posted by trump on his Truth Social network—and that makes him directly responsible for not only disrespecting the office of U. S. President but for threatening the current occupant. And that, my friends, is illegal, according to the constitution. Why is the country, at least the sane half of it, not up at arms, angrily calling for action? Has trump so blinded us to his violence and outrageous lies that we simply shrug and go on?

Cheung, in a kind of “All’s fair in love and war” aboutism, said that Biden has weaponized the DOJ against trump. We all know that’s not true. President Biden has deliberately distanced himself from any of the litigation involving the former president. If a sitting president did use the DOJ against a political rival, I doubt they would do so with an unbelievable 91 indictments, many of them felony. One or two strong cases should do the trick. trump earned every one of those indictments over a long career of grifting, cheating, and lying for personal gain.

Last night, I saw a clip on FB of a pickup truck with the entire back gate an image of trump—in an orange jumpsuit, clutching prison bars and staring angrily out at the world. For a millisecond, I thought about fair play, and I wished some anti-trump patriot hadn’t sunk so low (I still wish that). But I realized there’s no comparison—the image of Biden threatens unlawful violence, and it was posted by one person to threaten the duly elected president; the image of trump behind bars hopes for justice and Biden had nothing to do with it. In fact, we don’t know whose truck that was on or anything about it, but I assume the trump people haven’t found it yet or they’d be crowing about it.

One thing about this pickup controversy: it shows the power of AI and social media. Frightening.

This morning, Heather Cox Richardson’s perceptive column, Letters from an American, details how trump is conducting shadow foreign policy. He is pulling the strings behind Mike Johnson’s refusal to bring aid to Ukraine to the House, presumably because trump wants to weaken Ukraine to please Putin. The former president also has an “envoy” traveling the world on his behalf, meeting with dictators that trump wants to court because once in office, he intends to ally himself with Putin, Erdogan, and others—and break our alliances with democratic countries. This too is against the law, specified in the constitution. (Read Richardson’s column here for the extent of trump’s treason: (55) April 2, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson )(substack.com)

Last week, trump was under deadline and court to come up with $470-plus million in bond money or foreclosure on some of his property would begin while he appeals his gigantic fraud conviction. We all know what happened—the braggart billionaire couldn’t come up with the cash (no bank trusts him anymore). But the courts gave him grace and lowered the amount drastically. Would that have happened to any other billionaire? I doubt it. Why does he get special treatment? He’s not some saintly figure—he’s been convicted of fraud, he escaped conviction of sexual assault but was convicted of defamation, he was twice impeached, once for trying to blackmail a foreign leader, most of his cohorts have served or are serving prison time—and so much more.

Judge Juan Merchan has extended the boundaries of his gag order after trump threatened him and his daughter. Will the judge enforce that order? Will the threat to President Biden fall under it?

Then there’s the question of trump’s mental health. Is he sane? Is he suffering from progressive dementia as many health professionals claim? Senile? Psychopathic? I have never seen a man so full of anger and hate, so ready to lash out, at the same time he grossly twists facts, lies, and rants and raves—it’s all part of his threatening demeanor. Consider his impulsive behavior, his out-of-control mouth—do we want a man like that leading our country, making decisions about our welfare, negotiating with other countries. Is no one going to demand extensive testing? Are we all going to sit back and shrug and say we can do nothing about it while a severely disturbed (mild interpretation) man gets the nuclear codes again? We lucked out last time, but I have no confidence that we will again.

Where is America? Donald trump is playing America for the fool, and we are letting him do it. Why aren’t we speaking out? The world we leave for our grandchildren is at stake as it’s never been before.

Gotta Love the Scots

I’m can’t testify to either of these items, though I did see a picture of the flag, but they’re just too good not to share. Apparently when Donald Trump deplaned in Scotland, he was greeted by a mariachi band pushing a wheelbarrow full of bricks. And someone planted a Mexican flag just outside the border of his golf course. Word is he’d been trying, without success, to evict the land owner whose property adjoins the course. I know from family stories that Scots do not easily part with their land.

When Houston MacBain was the MacBain of MacBain (Chief of the Clan) he tried to buy the property that had held the homestead before the Clearances. (I am a registered member of the MacBain/McBean Clan.) The owner reluctantly parted with a small portion of what MacBain wanted—and he had to do with that. So I’m sure Trump has had a hard time wresting property from his neighbor.

I think that means the Scots did not welcome Mr. Trump.

That was my amusement for the day. It was a lazy Sunday, but one in which I got a fair amount of work done—roughed out a newsletter (want to be on the list? Email me at j.alter@tculedu), finished a novel I’m reading, made notes for a novel I want to write, read Facebook and email, and had a good nap—I didn’t sleep well last night.

Tonight neighbors Jay and Susan shared their Sunday night supper with me—tuna salad, chicken salad, potato chips, cherry tomatoes, and good wheat bread. It’s what they eat every Sunday night, and it’s my kind of meal. We had a jolly time, laughing and talking, until I mentioned a political topic—Jay and I immediately clashed as we always do. He takes it in better humor than I do—I want to demand, “How can you be so wrong?” He said, “You and I are going to have an interesting fall.”

I’m really enjoying reading again and am off to start a new book.

 

Struggling for a thread

 Struggling to think of something to blog about tonight. It’s been an ordinary day—as days are ordinary lately, since I’m pretty much confined to the house and on a walker. Really, what can you think of new and different to report from that perspective.

Is it news that Louie Gohmert included gay couples on his proposed ark, not realizing they wouldn’t reproduce? Is it news that Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination? Well, yeah, it really is—first woman to be nominated by a major political party—but who doubted it anyway? And I don’t think she’ll be satisfied with that—it’s all the way or nothing. Is it news that Donald Trump verbally attacked the judge “of Mexican heritage”? Nah, I don’t think that’s news anymore.

News doesn’t get much more exciting closer to home—Jordan and I had wine on the deck and she made me the half-sandwich I thought sounded good—rye, cheddar, mayo, tomato, and diced green onion. Lovely to be outdoors on the deck—until she went into panic mode because a wasp was about to fly into the house. Thanks to her quick action, fueled by adrenaline, danger was averted.

Jacob apparently thinks we’re going to tear down the entire existing apartment—so not true. But he has asked to be the first to sling a sledgehammer in the demolition process. I bet Lewis can find a spot to mark with a big black X for Jacob to begin his demolition.

And so the day went—a guest blog about Chicago written, an evaluation of a novel for a contest, email, etc. At 11:30 I realized I was really tired, so made some lunch (not a success) and read Facebook; slept for longer than I care to admit. How much can be exciting when you’re on a walker and it hurts to put weight on the sore foot?

Looking forward to better days. Lord knows, I have enough work piled on my desk to keep me busy for two weeks, if I’d just buckle down and do it.

Texas Tower shootings 50th anniversary draws near

 I’m not sure what I intended to blog about tonight or if I was going to wing it, but I have just been transported out of my comfort zone by a mind-blowing article (Texas Monthly) about the life of a woman wounded in the UT Tower Shootings. Come August that will be 50 years ago, before Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora, before we thought about mass shootings and came, regrettably, to accept them as inevitable. What is wrong with us that we’ve come to that distanced acceptance?

It was August 1, 1966 when Charles Whitman went up the UT Tower in Austin, well-armed, and began shooting randomly, with amazing range and accuracy. He killed sixteen and wounded thirty-two others. I was a newlywed, living in a concrete block shack on the back or a clinic parking lot while I attended TCU and my husband was a surgical resident at Fort Worth Osteopathic Hospital. I was home that morning, and I remember being mesmerized watching the TV. How could one person do such evil, so much killing?

The horror becomes all that more real when you read, as I did tonight, the lengthy article about Claire Wilson, who survived the shooting (barely) but lost her boyfriend and the eight-month fetus she was carrying. Her life has been one of unanswered questions, unfulfilled longing, an inability to stay in one place long. Two unsuccessful marriages. No biological children, but an adopted bi-racial son she adores who developed bipolar problems. She asks some “What if?” questions, and you can’t help but wonder—what if she and her boyfriend were five minutes later walking across the campus? What if their class had not let out early?

It’s a sad story, yes, but it’s also one of resilience and courage and faith. It’s hard to read without weeping, but read it for yourself: http://features.texasmonthly.com/editorial/the-reckoning/

To me, it’s a story that resonates in this day of guns everywhere. Obviously, I’m not a fan of guns. If people want to hunt, fine! But why in heaven’s name do Americans need to carry either open or concealed handguns. The old argument about protecting themselves doesn’t carry much weight with me. And guns in the home to protect against invasion?  Anybody read the statistics lately about how many people are killed by inept gun owners or foolish gun owners who leave loaded weapons with reach of toddlers? It absolutely makes no sense, and I am ashamed—and a bit frightened—to live in a state that has embraced open carry. Yay to my school (TCU) for forbidding guns on campus.

The issue speaks even more relevantly in this long, endless presidential campaign. Donald Trump has, as Joe Biden said, appealed to the darker side of humanity. We all know it’s there. We all know another Charles Whitman can spring up among us The idea of encouraging hate and anger, along with looser gun control, absolutely scares the you-know-what out of me.

I think to too many of us it all seems abstract. It won’t happen to us. If that’s your thought, read Claire Wilson’s story. Me? If I walk into a restaurant and there are people there with military-style weapons, I’m leaving. Or if I have ordered, I’m leaving my dinner.

I’m honestly not sure what has happened to America as a society, but it saddens and scares me.

This crazy poliitical year

“And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. And of these the greatest is love.” I am not a person who quotes the Bible often. Sad truth is that, although a lifelong Christian, I don’t know enough Bible to quote besides the 23 Psalm, the ten commandments, and maybe the Beatitudes. And if I did, I would not push my religion on anyone else. But these lines from 1^st Corinthians 13:13 keep coming back to me, especially when I survey the political world we live in.

Believing as I do that love is the most important value, I am appalled by the hate and vitriol around us. Both Trump and Cruz are promising to bomb the you-know-what out of Isis and the Middle East. Civilian casualties? No matter. And Paul Ryan recently said that the poor are like feral cats—as long as we keep feeding them they’ll be with us forever. Where is the compassion for our fellow human beings?

And the hate for President Obama is appalling. I read someone’s opinion tonight that he has led us down the road to destruction. In my opinion, many of his accomplishments have led us toward love for our fellow Americans—the ACA act, for instance. I am struck by the man who came forward and said he’s always voted Republican but now he thanks President Obama—and the ACA—for saving his life. I truly cannot see a reason to hate Obama unless it’s the color of his skin—and we should be so far beyond that.

Donald Trump is to me the scariest though many say Ted Cruz is more frightening. But Trump’s spectacular brand of hate for everyone from overweight and disabled people to Muslims has attracted the most attention. One can only hope he’s like a carnival barker who sheds his flamboyant ways the minute he’s out of the spotlight. What worries me is the anger he’s aroused in so many Americans—how long has that anger been simmering. And why?

That the anger exists is a great argument for Bernie Sanders campaign. He advocates for change of things that I think make many Americans angry—they feel powerless, they work hard and follow the rules but never get ahead, they feel insignificant as individuals. This is not a campaign speech for the Bern—I love his ideas but will probably vote for Hillary.

Bernie Sanders says we have to educate our young people because they are our future leaders, our doctors, our teachers, the ones who will keep American moving forward. Donald Trump loves the uneducated. Without sounding like a snob, I think that’s significant—the uneducated are angry because they don’t understand how to empower themselves, they haven’t been taught to think critically. Republicans have even been known to say they don’t want people to think critically. We’ll be Neanderthals in a couple of generations if that thinking prevails.

After all is said and done, we’ll be left with a nation of angry people, no matter who is elected president. What do we do then? We reach out with love as our guiding principle. They are our people. We do not need a divided society—we need unity, and that comes with love, not anger and hate.

I’ve lived a wonderful, comfortable life—sometimes I ask the Lord why I have been so blessed.  But I have seven grandchildren, and I want to leave them a world in which they have every opportunity for the same kind of life I’ve lived. So far, they’re all on the right track, but I don’t want them to have to deal with an out-of-control world.

Lord, give us peace and teach us to love one another, regardless of faith, skin color, sexual orientation, and disabilities. And PS Lord, deliver us from Donald Trump.

The media is electing our next president

 I saw on Facebook that Bernie Sanders said in a speech that ISIS is a serious threat but it’s not the only problem the U.S. faces and, in effect, it’s getting too much media attention. What’s significant to me is that I saw nothing about that speech on national TV or print media. It seems that the major networks have declined to cover Sanders’ campaign—as my son-in-law asked, isn’t that illegal? Aren’t they required to give equal time? But have you seen Sanders on Meet the Press? Face the Nation? Even the PBS News Hour—I admit I don’t watch that all the time so I may have missed it, but his face, his speeches, and his following have been noticeably absent from the public eye. Even Hillary Clinton is much less in the news lately, though perhaps she’s waiting for Trump and Cruz to deflate each other.

Meanwhile there isn’t a news show that goes by without mention of Donald Trump and his obsession with keeping Muslims out of the country. Trump’s distorted, angry face makes great news; Sanders, not a striking figure, doesn’t. This morning the news is all about Trump cancelling his truce with Ted Cruz. Now that’s an interesting case—my understanding is that the president must have been born on U.S. soil. Look at all the fuss birthers raised, claiming Obama was born in Kenya when, in fact, he was born in Hawaii, then a territory, now a state. Cruz on the other hand, if I have the facts straight, was born in Canada, and though he may claim dual citizenship now, the fact remains that he was not born I this country. Yet the media also considers Cruz good copy—whereas most Republicans and others who know him declare him a conniving sleaze ball. But if he’s Canadian, why are we even worrying about him?

Tom Brokaw is that last journalist I can think of that I counted on for honest, fair coverage of the news, including the political scene. Since them journalism has gone downhill. In featuring Trump and Cruz (who apparently has appallingly inhumane plans for ISIS), the news feeds the fears of some Americans and plays into the hands of ISIS. Did anybody hear President Obama this morning outlining the gains that have been made against ISIS. Does anyone recognize—or see on the news—that most mass shootings in this country have been carried out by mentally ill U.S. citizens who are not Muslim?

Listen to Bernie Sanders, folks. He may not be the next president or even the best candidate, but a whole lot of what he says makes sense—if we can afford to send men and women to war, we can afford to take care of them when they come home; the minimum wage is years outdated and expecting people to buck up and live on that meagre amount is ridiculous. And so on. Or listen to Hillary for the continuing need to work on women’s rights in this country, let alone abroad (yeah, Saudi Arabia for electing women!). On the Republican side, listen to Kasich, who has an unfortunately low profile but a strong background in government and, apparently, a good head on his shoulders (quick! Kick him off the clown car!).

I am seriously concerned that the media-fueled campaigns of Trump and Cruz are leading too many citizens astray. I can’t understand why the comparisons of Trump and Hitler don’t strike terror into every heart. But I read of a teacher who decided to show his class how easy it was for Hitler to brainwash Germans—using similar techniques, he turned the class into a group of followers with a few leaders. And then told them at the end what he’d done. It could happen here.

Remember Nazism, or Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid, or Mussolini or many other examples from history. Watch the news with a large grain of salt and seek out reliable news sources. I wish I knew what to recommend.

Thoughts of a worried Christian

We have to work harder this year to keep Christmas in our hearts and spirits, with all the hate surrounding us, here at home and abroad. I am appalled at news clips and photos of a mob protesting in front of a mosque, a pig’s head thrown at a mosque, a Muslim shopkeeper beaten for his religion.

The love, care and concern being expressed apparently aren’t as good news copy—you don’t see much about the $100,000 raised by American Muslims for the San Bernadino victims and their families. Nor do you see the outreach to the Muslim community by most of the diverse groups that make up America—the Jewish community, Hispanic organizations, and some Christian groups. To our shame, many of those angrily protesting at the mosque probably call themselves Christian.

I have always been frightened by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, but now I am truly terrified—how can so many Americans support Trump’s blatant racism, his echoes of Hitler, Senator Joe McCarthy, and George Wallace. And why does he himself not realize he’s playing into the hands of ISIS, creating the division by which they will conquer? Ted Cruz is not far behind him (except in the polls) with his calls for carpet bombing. Yes, let’s kill thousands more innocent people to wipe out the small number of radicals.

Really, which is more frightening—a radicalized Muslim or a radicalized Christian?

A friend wrote in a post today that he feels that our country is so fraught with tension that it’s about to explode—and he obliquely predicted that explosion would come as civil war. It seems a possibility to me, and I think we cannot set back and let things unfold. We have to be proactive.

Meantime, we wrap gifts (I made good progress today), plan for holiday parties, and go about our lives as if the world was as peaceful as it was during Jimmy Carter’s administration—the only president who has not presided over a war.

I think we have to do more. I read a post with the headline, “What to do if a Muslim moves into your neighborhood.” The advice? Take them food, clothes, personal items, blankets—all the things they will need. Reach out and welcome them into the community. Sure, we all have to be watchful for suspicious behavior and not just from brown-skinned people who dress differently from us but everyone. But if we let suspicion and fear replace love and joy, we have lost the battle. We have to keep Christmas in our hearts.

It’s no joke, folks

Everyone has thoughts on Trump, pro and con, so I feel a bit presumptuous putting mine in print. But here goes. He scares the living you-know-what out of me. Jacob asks his dad repeatedly, “But what if Trump does become president,” and Christian repeats, “Let me assure you that won’t happen.” But each time he says it, a niggling thought in the back of my mind says, “But what if?” Many voices predict that Trumps meteoric rise will crash and burn any day—but it hasn’t happened yet.

I had my hair cut today, and my stylist, who is a friend, and I were imagining Donald Trump sitting next to Russia’s Putin at a summit meeting—what a battle of the egos that would be. Rosa has definite political opinions, so when the subject came up, I said, “I don’t know where you stand on Trump.” She laughed, raised her hand, and said, “Hello! I was born in Mexico!” I’d forgotten to figure that into the discussion.

I saw on Facebook tonight a woman dressed for Trump’s Dallas appearance last night. She wore a sundress made of squares of portraits of Trump. As a friend of mine commented, “There are no words.” Other posts showed people, mostly women, with equal fervor for the Donald. Is there something about a misogynist that is particularly appealing to women? If so, I missed out on that gene.

Even Bobby Jindal declares he is a madman, though that gives one pause for thought—the pot calling the kettle black. I thought the Miss America candidate—was it Miss Alabama?—put it best when she said “He is an entertainer.” Political column after column has pointed out that he has no plan (beyond that darn wall in Mexico—and I hear the Mexicans would welcome it to keep spring break troublemakers from the States out). His speech in Dallas was a rambling, disconnected diatribe of name-dropping. No substance at all. I was cheered that the protestors outside greatly outnumbered the cheerleaders inside.

His outrageous attitudes and words frighten me because I fear some people think, “Isn’t he a hoot? I’m going to vote for him just for the heck of it!” I read an editorial recently that suggested to some extent that’s how the country elected George W. Bush—on his good-old-boy charm and persuasiveness, certainly not on his political career, his business failures, or his military record—the latter two should be an embarrassment. So haven’t we learned? Would we elect a comedian because he’s persuasive and charming and overwhelming? Would we overlook the facts that he’s declared bankruptcy (I think three times), knows nothing about government, international relations, is a racist and a bigot?

Dear Lord, I pray that the owners of all the sensible voices I hear around me will cast their votes in the next presidential election.

 

Random thoughts on a Sunday

Funday Sunday

 

Jordan, Christian and I went to Fuzzy's for tacos tonight. I've developed a craving for their ground beef tacos, since our Fuzzy's stop in Lubbock a couple of weeks ago. Jordan has apparently developed a craving for beeritas, which I have not. As shown above, I'm drinking plain old white wine. We went from the sublime to the ridiculous, because all three of us were in church this morning. Christian started his duties as an usher. Jacob is with his other grandparents, and we missed him--especially since he likes Fuzzy's. I came home and got lots of work done tonight--all those odds and ends--insurance matters, yet another letter to Canada, a myriad of details. 

I read a discussion this morning of the "F" word--no, not that one. "Fear" is the really powerful "F" word--it fuels hate, wars from local to global, all kinds of evil. And fear is too often born of ignorance--people fear what they don't understand, people who are not "us." How can we make people understand that politicians are fanning the flames of fear and hate? In Texas, it's Jade Helm--the coming "invasion" by Obama's troops, for which some unknown militia is prepared so we're told. On the national scene, Donald Trump, the most outrageous presidential candidate I can remember, is fanning the fear of Mexico and immigrants. I wish we could live in a world of peace and love, not fear and hate. Pollyanna speaks again. Significantly, the need for showing Christian love was the sermon topic this morning.

As most bibliophiles, I'm fascinated by all the hoopla around Harper Lee's new novel, Go Set A Watchman. Like others, I'm both dismayed and intrigued by the revelation of Atticus Finch as a racist.  I'm troubled by the stories that preceded the book--it's culls from To Kill A Mockingbird; it's unedited. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the first chapter, released online this weekend. It didn't,, as one essay pointed out, do a successful job of setting up plot structure, but it has its own charm. The big point that critical essay made to me was that we wouldn't give a fig about this new book if we didn't all love Mockingbird. I can't help thinking someone at HarperCollins is getting a huge career break for their masterful handling of the marketing campaign for this book, and probably a lawyer, whoever, is making a lot of money. No coincidence that publication was delayed until after sister Alice died. Alice looked after Harper Lee's affairs and resisted publishing this manuscript. I wish we knew how much Harper Lee is in control of her faculties--you hear different rumors. Will I read it? Not sure. My TBR list is long and this isn't at the top of it.
Right now, I'm going to read Grace Cries Uncle, by July Hyzy--favorite author, favorite series. Sweet dreams, all.