Morning Coffee with Dan - Choices when Dying

As I sip the last of yesterday's Gavalia, I read an article from a woman who flew to Switzerland to end her life with physician assisted death. I realize this is not an uplifting topic to think about, but, at least, it is not more politics for a change, and unfortunately it is reality.

The notion of physician assisted death aka euthanasia has been a controversial topic as long as I can remember, and it reminds me of the ridiculous treatment Dr. Jack Kevorkian received as an advocate for euthanasia, including a stint in prison. The woman I read about today had been sick with a variety of very painful and incurable diseases since 1993. She reached a point where she wondered why she even woke-up in the morning she was in so much pain. She finally came to the conclusion that she had a right to die with dignity and that 'choice' aligned with her "spiritual compass." She often quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu who said, "... people who are terminally ill should have the option of dignified and compassionate assisted dying."

I remember when I had to euthanize our cat Domino about 18 months ago, and talking about the process with our veterinarian. He explained that he would give the cat a sedative shot and once relaxed he would administer a drug that painlessly shut down the pet's heart and he would quietly fall asleep. I asked him how it is that we compassionately end an animal's suffering with dignity, but fail to do so with humans. He said he wondered the same thing. Isn't it ironic that we treat pets with more dignity than their owners.

I know we have some form of physician assisted death in 6 states but there are complicated provisions and processes involved which is why the woman in the article flew to Europe where the process is far less administratively burdened. I think once you arrive at that point in your decision process, you don't want to be burdened with a bunch of red tape, but you are ready to move on to the next dimension, whatever that might be. It is probably equally compassionate to your loved ones to be able to seamlessly complete the process without having a team of lawyers in the middle.

Ultimately, I think everyone has to come to grips with their beliefs on this topic, but as you might guess, I come down hard on the notion that the individual has the right to make that choice, not some government body or religious group. I suspect not everyone will align with my thinking on this topic, but when that decision is an option, I am again reminded of Archbishop Tutu's words, "I hope that when the time comes, I hope I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life's journey in the manner of my choice."

On this cheery note this morning, I am getting more coffee and hope that I am not confronted with these 'choices' for a long, long time. I would certainly be interested in contrary thoughts on this topic if I have overly simplified it for your taste.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Remembering the Watts Riots of 1965

As I somberly savor my morning coffee today, I am transported back in time to the summer of 1965 between my junior and senior year at UCLA. The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air all over the LA basin as the reality of the Watts riots sunk in. We held our collective breath waiting for the spillover to the rest of the prosperous sections of Los Angeles. Those were times of tremendous uncertainty and upheaval. Sadly, I think little has really changed in 55 years.

I don't pretend know the sociological factors at play in Minneapolis, but I am familiar with LA in 1965. Rampant housing discrimination, high unemployment, overzealous police enforcement all contributed to a powder keg in East and South LA centered in the Watts section of the city. Eventually, the 'aggressive' arrest of an African-American male became the spark that set-off something like 6 nights of riots. Like most of these situations, it is always the underlying factors of everyday life that are the real cause, not the spark that gets blamed. The reality of being a minority in this country is something that I can only remotely identify with being a white male of 'privilege,' but I sure as hell can understand how the daily frustrations will eventually play out if not addressed.

If you look at our legal system, and I purposely avoid the term "justice system" because it is a far cry from that, you can frame many of our problems in a much clearer light. We already know that people of means have a major advantage in the system, and people without those resources suffer a disproportionate share of the unequal treatment. Do you really think Jeffrey Epstein for years got away his his behavior because he was innocent, or do you think his billions helped? If Michael Flynn doesn't get off the hook because of his resources and connections he will surely get a pardon.

People of color make up 37% of the U.S. population but 67% of the prison population. Black men are 6 times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. Sadly, the sentences for "identical crimes" results in longer sentences for men of color and Latinos. The U.S. prison population dwarfs the rest of the world. We have something like 5% of the population and 25% of the prison population. Our prisons are overflowing with non-violent crime offenders, mostly drug offenses, which account for the disproportionate prison population of minorities.

When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during his NFL game, he was quietly trying to send a message. That message unfortunately got lost in the "patriotic fervor" of disrespect to our flag rather than being focused on the real underlying problems faced by minorities. Maybe, if we listened to the real message and not the drummed-up pseudo patriotic bullshit, we might have confronted the reality of being a minority in this country.

I could go all morning on this topic, but my cynical side remembers that almost all of the recommendation of the McCone Commission report after the Watts riots were eventually relegated to the wastebasket over time. I am equally convinced that were another report be issued today, it would meet a similar fate. The climate for dramatic change does not exist in this country today. When will it? Your guess is as good as mine, but it is highly unlikely in the current administration of govern by tweet.

other cup of coffee is required to sadly digest last night's events.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Goodbye to Enablers

As I am gulping down my Gevalia Kaffe this morning, I have pondered how to approach a topic which may be a watershed moment for me. I generally ponder things and often it takes me awhile to come around to a place many of my contemporaries arrive at much sooner. Maybe it is my rusty 77 year-old mind or perhaps it is just a genetic characteristic. I have nevertheless arrived at a "no return" point politically.

It is no secret that I am no Trump fan. I have felt this way from the day he won the nomination, and his policies and behavior have done nothing to alter that. However, I was 'primarily' focused on his policies and behavior. In my mind his policies concerning the environment and fiscal irresponsibility may leave an unrecoverable legacy which could doom this country's future. His appointees are, for the most part, unqualified and will go down in history as the worst array of characters to ever occupy those positions. However, In a moment of charity, I could concede that some of his policies are a matter of choice and approach, e.g., NAFTA, NATO, the Trade War, etc., but that doesn't make him 'right or wrong,' it make him on the opposite side of where I come down on these issue. That doesn't make me 'right or wrong' either.

His behavior speaks for itself. His constant lying, tweeting, belittling are so divisive that it is impossible to have a constructive conversation across party lines. Most of his supporters are willing to shrug their shoulders and claim, "that is Trump being Trump."

So what is my watershed moment? I have reached the point where I have concluded that Trump is inherently an evil person incapable of functioning in a civilized manner in any role, much less as CEO of the country. His character is so flawed that there is zero hope of ever uniting this country on any issue of import. In addition, I am through rationalizing that many on the other side of spectrum are basically 'good' people with whom I just don't happen to agree with. It they are willing to accept this depravity in the office, they are not 'good' people. They are enablers willing to see this country fail for their political beliefs. If that means my 'friends' list is reduced, and we no longer get a dinner invitation, so be it.

I liken this to my thoughts on John McCain. Philosophically, I was not on the same page with McCain. However, I never doubted his character or integrity. His behavior as a POW was an incredible testament to his integrity. Trump should never even be allowed to speak McCain's name without shame. If he had one thousandth of the character of McCain, I wouldn't even be penning this epistle. Trump is the antithesis of everything McCain believed in.

What has set me off? The events of this week really did it for me. In his petty vindictive way he attacked the memory of Lori Klausutis which has put her family through the pain of her loss all over again is so sick that it defies human decency. It is pure evil. The only reason he goes down this path is that he cannot confront issues on their merit, he must strike back at his protagonists in a tasteless manner on Twitter. He followed this with mocking Joe Biden for wearing a surgical mask the day we topped 100,000 deaths in this country. What kind of empathy is that? You may not be a fan of surgical masks, but to mock someone for having the decency to protect the people with whom he comes in contact says all you need to know about his character.

I'm off my soapbox. I'm also done with Trump and any of his apologists who are willing to accept this evil person'a behavior another minute.

I'm brewing a fresh pot of coffee to ponder some more.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Divisiveness is Not Helpful

As I sip my coffee this morning, I am going to gingerly step-up on my soapbox and go down a little different path.

It is ironic on the eve of Memorial Day that we get to ponder the notion that patriotism is being commemorated under the cloud of a pandemic that has killed almost 100,000 of our citizens. Instead of using today’s events as an opportunity to bring us together and unite us against a common enemy, it is used as a wedge to encourage even more divisiveness. We pit the forces of caution against the forces of opening society again. Must we always frame issues as ‘win or lose’?

There was a time that we thrust out our chest with pride to be an "American," right or wrong. I joined the Air Force in 1966 under the cloud of Vietnam even though I would have preferred a thousand different directions, but I felt that military service was the price one paid to be a citizen of this country, even in the face of some questionable foreign policy decisions. I felt the rights and advantages I enjoyed came with a price and I needed to put some energy and commitment back in the bank if I expected these benefits to continue.

Confronted with the same decision today, it would be infinitely more difficult given the erosion of the values with which I grew up and believed in without question. It is sad to see where we are headed, especially proudly remembering where we have been. To see the anger in the streets and the ridiculous threats and acts of violence merely because elected officials are trying to take action to stem the spread of the virus is not the country I knew. Juvenile behavior is condoned in the name of individual rights and freedom spewed out of the mouths of bearded, t-shirt clad protesters most of whom have never lifted one finger to defend the values to which they blithely only pay lip service. Racism has been re-energized with a fervor that is frightening.

Unfortunately, attitudes start at the top, whether family or government.. If you promote divisiveness every day, seek to scapegoat every problem, and accept no responsibility for any issue, it trickles down and poisons the society who needs to come together, especially right now. Patriotism is modeled by our leaders. As aptly said by Dwight D. Eisenhower, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

So, during the Memorial Day weekend, let us think about regaining the values threatened by the divisiveness being mindless promoted by our ‘leaders,’ and focus on what it takes to regain them. It takes more than lip service We need to go out and defend these values and support them every day. Patriotism is not cheap - volunteer, help the needy, support your schools, stand-up for what you believe and call-out non-constructive behavior, and fight divisiveness with every bone in your body. Most important support and vote for candidates who will unite us again and not drive a wedge between us. United we can accomplish almost anything, divided we fall.

I will have another cup of coffee as I carefully step down from this morning’s soapbox.

Morning Coffee with Dan - National Guard Deserves Respect

As I am sipping my coffee this morning, I am thinking about my days in the Massachusetts National Guard before we moved to South Carolina. I was proud of the dedication and skills of the guardsmen with whom I worked. This is what is distressing about the latest decision made by Cheeto relative to their service.

The National Guard has 40,000 guardsmen deployed in something like 22 states to aid in activities related to the Covid-19 pandemic. These soldiers separated from their families, and away from their jobs, are exposed to possible Coronavirus infections in response to their deployment. So what does the government announce? Their deployment will end on June 24th which is one day shy of the 90 day threshold needed to obtain certain benefits such as education and accelerated retirement under the post 9/11 GI Bill. The fact that the deployment would end on a Wednesday one day short of 90 days is surely a designed action to avoid the cost of the benefits. As the President of the National Guard Association, Brig. Gen. J. Joy Robinson so aptly put it, "They're screwing the National Guard members out of the status they should have."

Of course events could occur which would change this, but to announce it now enforcing the notion that their service is appreciated less than budget concerns sends a callous message of indifference to the welfare of the soldiers which so typifies this administration. It is frankly, shameful.

I can only hope the different National Guard Adjutant Generals in the home states from where the Guard members are deployed rise-up in indignant anger and tell the President that his decision is unacceptable. Our soldiers deserve better treatment and more respect than this.

I am going to get my second cup of Java while I fume some more.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Oversight is Becoming Obsolete

As I savor my morning coffee, I am reminded of my tour of duty on the Inspector General’s Team for the Military Airlift Command while in the Air Force. It was a tough assignment for a newlywed since it involved travel about 70% of the time, but the Air Force never asked whether you would “like” an assignment or not. You received your orders and packed your bag.

I quickly learned why the Inspector General was, in fact, a General. The Inspector General or IG is responsible for the independent evaluation of the combat readiness of the unit being inspected and how well the unit conforms to the fiscal and management regulations related to its readiness. Senior officers do not like independent outsiders giving them a “grade” for their performance and are not above “leaning on” the inspector to soften his/her assessment. When this occurs, you let the General deal with the politics of the situation which usually ends the discussion in a hurry. Thus, you can be reasonably assured that the findings are free from coercion and fairly reflect the actual situation. Disagreement is not forbidden, but it is done above board in a fact-based manner.

This background is what makes me so disturbed by our “Commander in Chief’s” cavalier attitude toward independent oversight. His dismissal of Steve Linick, the State Department’s Inspector General was the fourth such dismissal in this administration in the last two months. How effective Linick was or was not, is not something an outsider like me can determine without access to the facts, but he obviously raised the ire of Pompeo which may be a good thing. Let me say that when an event occurs with such regularity, it makes one suspicious that independent oversight is the target not individual competence. If your child had a personality clash with a teacher, your might be inclined to side with your kid. If it happened four times, you might in a private moment of candor suspect it might be your child’s behavior at fault, not the teacher.

When you weaken independent oversight, you weaken the entire structure of the government. The complexity of daily operations is so great that the opportunity for corruptions and/or abuse is certainly abundant. In most cases the beneficiary is the person charged with the oversight and management of the operation. I always felt that the real benefit of the IG was not so much the audit itself, but the deterrent value of having the maleficence uncovered. When you remove this deterrent, you open the door to the notion that nobody will ever find out what is going on; it is too complex.

The current administration has an amazing record of corruption and incompetence. If ever there were a need for oversight it is now. A little publicized decision occurred when the Trump administration rejected a course for senior White House staff, Cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics, and management. Both the Bush and Obama administrations made this training part of their transition program. It is obvious that ethics is not on today’s agenda, and the more that can fly under the radar, the happier they will be. If only the Senate had the balls to mandate the oversight that the citizens in this country deserve.

I will sadly get another cup of coffee this morning and lament what might have been.

Morning Coffee with Dan - We are Not Lab Rats

I am sipping on my coffee this morning whilst I think of lab rats. Lab rats seems to come to mind as I think of treating Veterans with hydroxychloroquine.

My cynical side has to ask the question if our beloved leader did not stand-up at his Covid-19 daily show and tout the drug, hydroxychloroquine, would there be any interest, whatsoever, in its use as a therapeutic for Covid-19? I seriously doubt it.

In light of the numerous studies both in the US and in Europe refuting its effectiveness with or without azithromycin, why would the VA go down this path? Even the VA's own results, limited at they might be, show the mortality rate for patient on hydroxychloroquine is actually higher than traditional treatment (22.8% vs 11.4% ). Further, the studies that I have read suggest the side effects of hydroxychloroquine, are severe enough (heart failure) to warrant its discontinuance.

The Secretary of the VA, Robert Wilke, a Trump political appointee, defends the decision and suggests the treatment option is only used on Veteran's where there is not other options and a high probability of mortality. This treatment option comes a week after a study was released by the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that death and mechanical ventilation were the only outcomes for patients treated with this therapeutic.

Personally, I am a big fan of the VA and as a long-term patient using the VA, I have always been happy with the professionalism of the staff with whom I interact. This is what is so frustrating about reading the hydroxychloroquine situation. It walks, talks, and quacks like a capitulation to political expediency which the VA should be above.

Our veterans deserve better treatment than being used as lab rats for an unproven and risky therapeutic.

I need another cup of Java this morning.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Open Air Doctrine

As I am quietly sipping my Kaffe on this quiet Sunday morning, I am thinking about how information, maybe misinformation, has changed our lives.

When I was growing-up in the 50's and 60's, there was no internet or Twitter or talk radio or cable TV. Three networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS dominated mass media. There was a doctrine in place called the Fairness Doctrine enforced by the FCC which required broadcast media to provide "honest, equitable, and balanced" coverage of issues of public importance. I don't mean the mythical "fair and balanced' definition that FOX pronounces. The notion was that obtaining a broadcast license carried responsibilities with it that required the notion of 'public good.' You may be now asking yourself, where is that today?

In 1987, the FTC (under Reagan) did away with the Fairness doctrine. It was one of those purge things to get rid of 'unnecessary' regulations The very next year, Rush Limbaugh started his gig on talk radio... but I digress. It was not replaced nor is there any likelihood that a replacement will see the light of day.

There is also another notion enforced by the FTC called the Truth in Advertising Regulation which requires that all advertisements must be truthful and not misleading, and when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. Try to digest that without choking as you watch late night TV.

All of these thoughts percolated in my brain when I read recently that well-funded right-wing groups, many affiliated with the NRA, were buying up web site names to create sites to advocate resistance to the quarantine regulations in the states that had the audacity to regulate the spread of the Covid-19 virus. I thought isn't that a fine kettle of fish. Anytime, you disagree with a policy, use your money to create a propaganda campaign no matter how biased or void of facts it might be.

I am thinking when I become emperor wouldn't it be nice to merge the Fairness Doctrine with Truth in Advertising and have a new "Open Air Doctrine" so the average person who doesn't have hours of time to research every nuance of every issue knew he was being broadcast or printed truth and opposing positions were getting equal time.

Of course it is pretty easy to see why this won't happen. Not my coronation as emperor, but an open air doctrine. As long as one group thinks they are winning the propaganda war or more bluntly, lying does pay, they will not support any effort to air facts and truth. Maybe a better question might be why we have created such a large group of citizens who can be manipulated into thinking that HRC did run a child porn ring out of a pizza parlor or Sandy Hook was a hoax, or drinking Clorox will cure Covid-19. But that is probably fodder for another day and another conversation.

Enjoy your Sunday while I get my second cup of Gevalia.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Testing is "Overrated"

As I am sipping my very strong House Blend Gevalia, I am shaking my head. My consternation is about Cheeto's comments on Caronavirus testing.

Every time I think Cheeto says something unbelievably moronic which can't be topped, he takes the challenge and comes up with something out of Alice and Wonderland. Yesterday's comment about virus testing may top the all-time list. To quote - I'm not making this shit up - "‘When you test, you have a case. When you test you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases." Really? If we never bought anything, we would have much more money too. This one statement, IMHO, says it all.

He is not about the core science - never has been. I think the experts suggest test, confirm, isolate, and recover. It is obvious that he is about the numbers game. He was that way when he didn't want the Grand Princess cruise ship to dock because their COVID 19 cases would make the case numbers go up in the US. Let's not isolate and treat the victims, let's manipulate the numbers. Yesterday's quote show that Bone Spurs has learned nothing in the ensuing months. We don't need testing - it is overrated - because you won't have any cases if your don't test.

I am a type II diabetic so I test my blood glucose level several times a day I think I just found a way to stop taking my insulin. If I don't test my blood every day, I won't have diabetes, ergo, I can stop my insulin. Damn, why didn't I think of that. No testing, no diabetes.

For those who don't think testing is overrated, remember that in November.

I'm getting another cup of coffee, and I just might need to put a shot of Cognac in it.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Happiest Countries in the World

As I savored my first cup of joe this morning, I was still processing my thoughts about an exchange I had with a friend yesterday.  The topic was social democracy.  I know the word ‘social’ is one of those red flag words in this country which gets inexplicable linked to the word ‘socialism’ fueled largely by the right-wing press looking for red button issues, but I’m of the opinion that ‘social’ is a good word and we should learn to embrace it.

My thoughts keep coming back to the notion of the role of government in making the lives of its citizens better.  Every year there is a poll of the happiest countries in the world.  Interestingly, the Nordic countries – Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Iceland – always lead the list.  I’m fascinated by this list because I’m inherently of the opinion that we have a relatively short time on this planet and shouldn’t one of our key objectives be the welfare and happiness of we humans while we are here?  Life shouldn’t always be a daily battle where we take a deep breath and sigh when we made it through another day.  BTW, the U.S. usually falls somewhere in the 18-19th place on the list.  I could offer opinions on our position, but for the moment, I’ll pass on that digression.

Why do the Nordic countries do so well?  I have done a modest amount of research into this topic and pretty much think it is summed-up by one word – balance.  The people in these countries are willing to trade-off priorities to achieve a balance in life.  Amid their economic prosperity (capitalism), they also respect that work is not the end objective. In this country we work an average of 44+ hours a week, while the Nordic countries work about 37 hours.  They don’t take their work home either.  Virtually everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation a year, something we ‘earn’ after we have been with the company, maybe 10 years or more.   Beyond work/home balance is the social network that looks after its citizens.  People aren’t filing for bankruptcy because they have the misfortune of getting a disease they never asked for.  Young people are not burdened with college debt at the very point they are starting out in life.  Unemployment is not a financial or emotional disaster.  Schools are among the best in the world.  Citizens are not worried about mass shootings because everybody with a pulse can own a gun.  It is all about balance – the social network and economic system are balanced using economic prosperity to fund the social ne which benefits its citizens.  This is why I think they consistently lead the pack in happiness.

Sure, you will read that Nordic countries have among the highest taxes in the world.  Its citizens, however, don’t balk at this because the taxes pay for the security and ‘balance’ that lets its citizens sleep peacefully at night.  Cut out my tongue, but I would gladly pay higher taxes if those taxes funded a social network that benefits me and not feeds some invisible military/industrial complex that makes bombs and missiles all day, or allows the CEO’s of companies to earn salaries in the hundreds of millions each year.  No system is perfect, for sure.  But I humbly submit that there is a reason its citizens are among the happiest in the world. – balance.  I know that comparisons are complex and the size of the country makes government less complex and the societies are considerably more homogeneous than this country, but really, do you think our priority is the happiness of our citizens?

So, as I pour a second cup of java, I wonder what we could be if we put our energies into what government ought to do – provide a system which provides the maximum benefit to its citizen yielding a happier place to live out our short lives on this marble.

Morning Coffee with Dan - Leadership

As I am enjoying my Gevalia Kaffe this morning, the notion of leadership is rambling around in my head. I was imagining how much different our attitudes would be during this crisis - and possibly our behaviors - with enlightened or maybe even competent leadership.

I am always reminded of the many examples of leadership displayed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, especially when he was the Supreme Allied Commander during WWII. One of my favorite quotes of his is, "You do not lead by hitting people over the head. That’s assault, not leadership.” I'm relatively sure had Twitter been around in those days, he might have said, "you don't lead by tweet," Imagine if we had leadership based on collaboration, shared ideas, and cooperation rather than blame and guilt. I don't believe you would have ever heard the statement, " I don't take responsibility at all." Really? As Winston Churchill said, " the price of greatness is responsibility." I may be delirious at times, but I try to imagine a leader saying something like, " The buck stops here, and I am responsible for providing the planning, direction, and execution to defeat this virus with the all the resources this country can muster."

I have always been told that one of the critical keys to success is good planning. By failing to plan you are planning to fail. Imagine back in 2018, if the president had said, "are we sure the Pandemic Planning staff is sufficiently staffed to effectively manage a future pandemic?" How much better would we have been than a reckless decision to disband a staff of experts who may have given us a running start in combating the pandemic. I can't help believing that this ill-conceived decision was a data starved one based on petty political considerations - not the mark of far sighted leadership.

Lastly, I want to circle back to Eisenhower. He knew the value of coalition building and had the patience to work within the constraints of a very complex system and manage the dynamics. We have a very complex (an understatement) system of government with 50 individual states of varying political persuasions and personalities who have to come together in a cohesive manner if we want to win this particular battle. I can't even imagine what the outcome would have been during WWII if Eisenhower told the ally countries that they are suppose to do it themselves. I don't think you would have ever heard him say, "We're the federal government. We're not supposed to be standing on street corners doing testing." Sure, we know the execution is decentralized, but the coordination of resources and urgency of the action and the command of the resources are best done if managed in a cohesive way with clear unambiguous instruction.

It is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but when the game plan is a disaster it is hard to sit back and not ask yourself, what should we have done differently so the next time we do a better job. We are playing with people's lives - 59,000 so far.

I need another cup of joe while I dream about better times.

Morning Coffee with Dan - What is Normalcy

As I am "enjoying" my microwave reheated Gevalia this morning, the concept of 'normalcy' keeps percolating in my brain.

On Thursday this week, we set a record for the number of deaths due to the Coronavirus - about 2900 people died in this country. This number about equals the number of people killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack (2977). Imagine that number for a minute. We are still engaged in a war half way around the world because this country was attacked and we lost 2977 people. In the Pearl Harbor sneak attack we lost 2403 which lead to a declaration of war against Japan which lasted a bloody 4 years.

I read where one pundit asked what would happen if we lost 2000 passengers in airplane crashes in one month. Hell, we shut down Boeing's manufacturing of the 737 Max because of two crashes killing 346 people. I'm pretty sure we would pull the plug on the airline industry in a heartbeat if we lost 2000 passenger in a month, much less than a single day. Yet, in spite of this likely reaction we are continuing down a path to restore the country to normalcy whilst we are setting records for deaths in this country. Frankly, I don't get it. Are deaths from viruses less compelling than terrorist or airline crashes?

I truly understand the desire to return to normalcy and get people back to work and school and into the restaurants and malls again. I just don't understand the currency for valuing that desire. What is an acceptable price for normalcy? Are you willing to put your children in the car without seat belts? Are you willing to swim on the beach after a shark sighting in the area? Do you drive on a highway with tread below 4/32 of an inch? Do you check the temperature of your chicken before you put it on the table? We make a judgement all the time about the risks we are willing to take. Usually, the outcome is not perceived as life or death, although I sometimes wonder.

So, as I sip my java, I confess to being in a quandary with conflicting data. On the one had we have more people unemployed since the great depression and on the other hand we continue to set records for deaths from the pandemic. I do know one thing. People who resist common sense health guidelines, e.g., social distancing, face covering, and social gatherings, are selfish jerks. What does worry me is how much of the 'executive' decision making is being done for political reasons rather than a firm commitment to balance normalcy with public health.

As I grab my second cup of coffee, I wish I had the wisdom to suggest the correct road, but I'm not sure there in a definitive answer. However, I will continue to hunker down until I reconcile my desire for normalcy with the risk of bringing the virus into my home."

Where is Our Compassion?

It's been awhile since I got on my soapbox - probably a relief for most of you. Just so you wouldn't forget, I decided it was time again.

I originally wrote some of this diatribe four years ago. Sadly, things have only gotten worse in the intervening years. Trump’s diversion of FEMA funds to build his wall of exclusion at the start of the hurricane season only highlights the lunacy of our approach to the humanitarian issues confronting us.

I am reminded that my existence in this country in pretty prosperous circumstances (relatively speaking) was the result of some visionary ancestors I had who were trying to escape the potato famine in Ireland and would do anything to save their family and children. Similarly, my wife's family had to escape the unspeakable tragedy of the Armenian genocide in Turkey to save their family whilst over a million and a half of their brethren were annihilated. Refugees and immigrants are only trying to make a better life and provide food and shelter for their children, not become hardened criminals and "rapists", and gang lords. Wouldn't we do the same under the same circumstances?

It breaks my heart to see children treated like animals separated from their parents for God knows how long. For what crime – trying to escape brutal and lawless circumstances. Having the opportunity to laugh and play like children should. Where is our compassion? Have we forgotten where we came from? Is the best answer we have is to build a wall or use drones to hunt them down like so many wild animals? This isn't the compassion I have been taught. This isn't the world I want. We have been blessed with circumstances these poor people couldn't even dream about, and we want to tell them, "if we catch you, we will deport you." Is that a Christian value taught in the modern-day church? I hope not. We must practice a lot more empathy than we have displayed thus far and realize that "they" could be “us.” When do we start practicing the biblical dictum, " I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Aren't we way, way overdue to work on solutions? When you are blessed with more than you need, It is time to build a bigger dining table instead of a higher wall.

Divisiveness?

When Barack Obama was president I use to have some heated conversations with my conservative "friends" at the VA. When I pushed at them to tell me with more specificity what they didn't like about his tenure, one comment I would hear repeatedly was that he was the most "divisive president in history." When they couldn't articulate an argument with more specificity, I concluded that his most divisive characteristic was being born non-Caucasian. By circumstances of being born non-white he engendered hate and mistrust that translated into 'divisiveness.' Fast forward to the current 'president' who was born to privilege and happens to be white but thrives on divisiveness. The comparison is interesting if not nauseating. You have one president who did nothing than being born of circumstances beyond his control compared to another 'president' who had all of the advantage of race and economics who constantly goes out of his way to divide the country for political advantage. It is a sad commentary to realize how slow and tedious the process of racial equality has been and how far we have yet to travel down this road.

Trump's Hostility to Immigrants Difficult to Fathom

Most reasonably balanced people that I know, identify with their heritage with a degree of pride. It is significant to them to understand where they came from and how it shaped their present-day circumstances. I have always been proud of my Irish heritage, which I not too long ago learned is Welsh. Either way I am fascinated by the little snippets of history we can uncover. My lovely wife is Armenian and has the sad history of the genocide as a cloud from her past. Her parents were lucky to escape to “America” after losing many family members to the genocide. Their tenacity and foresight are admirable at so many levels and a source of pride to Josh.

Given this behavioral norm, I am puzzled beyond understanding concerning Trump’s hostility to immigrants. Look at his history. His grandfather (Friedrich) emigrated from the Palatinate, then part of Bavaria. His grandmother (Elizabeth) emigrated with Friedrich from the Palatinate. Donald Trump’s mother (Mary Anne) came from the western islands of Scotland. Trump married Ivana from the Czech Republic and his current wife, Melania, is from Slovenia. That makes his children an interesting tossed salad of ethnic diversity. Ironically, there continue to be questions about Melania’s legal visa status when she came to this country, but unless she releases her visa documents, they will continue to be speculation. I suspect the release of any documents will end up in the same folder as Cheeto’s unreleased tax forms.

How is it that he is so indifferent to the ethnic heritage that so many Americans are proud of, especially given his personal and marriage history? One could suggest that his hostility is primarily directed to non-Caucasian immigrants which is consistent with his history of bigotry. One could also suggest it is an expedient to keep his base fired up. He plays immigration the same way he plays abortion rights – a chip to seduce his base with no deeply entrenched philosophical foundation.

I admit that most of what Trump does I don’t understand outside of the context of greed, ignorance, and ego. So why should immigration policy be any different? It is clear that he has the ethnic history that should make him a friend of immigration and, perhaps, drive a desire to ‘fix’ the broken process. Unfortunately, hypocrisy again prevails at he rails about sending people with ethnic history back to ‘where they came from’ but ignores the obvious history that he brings to the table through his family heritage and through his interesting array of marriages. Perhaps this is, to quote Churchill, another riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The sad part of this scenario is that he has plenty of allies who would be happy to change his theme song to “Make America White Again.”

Trump is Lacking the Humanity Needed to be a Leader

You know, that I can actually deal with Donald Trump’s singsong speaking style. I can tolerate his lack of knowledge about the most common subjects; actually, I find some of his gaffs amusing at times. I can deal with his poor dress and abysmal public image. I can even accept his never ending golf outings; actually, I think it is better when he is somewhere else besides Washington. What I cannot tolerate in any way whatsoever is his lack of humanity. Humanity in my context is compassion, tolerance, and goodness. He is so void of humanity that it pollutes everything he says and touches. 

I grew up expecting our leaders to be inspiring, especially when things did not go well – I lived through the Korean War, Vietnam, assassinations of MLK, JFK and Robert Kennedy, Dessert Storm, Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, countless natural disasters, economic recessions, and on and on. One thing I did see and, yes, expect, was a leader who told us ‘everything was going to be OK, just follow my lead.’

What we have today is a mockery masquerading as a leader. Leaders don’t tweet and insult everyone with whom they disagree; they seek accommodation and compromise. Leaders don’t mock and belittle. They educate and clarify. Leaders don’t attack every issue or person they disagree with; they seek the high ground. Leaders don’t constantly inflate their self-importance and ego; they display a modesty that befits the office. They admit they don’t know everything but are eager to learn more.

Trump is so lacking the basic personality characteristics that make a person a leader and the humanity that is required to lead, I am astounded that his support and approval ever reaches double digits. The sad part of this commentary is that you get what you see. At 73, the die is cast. His personally flaws are so ingrained that he will always insult, belittle, attack and inflate his ego. The only fix is on November 3, 2020.

My Dreams for 2019

My Dreams for 2019

As we start a new year, I shut my eyes and hope for a better year. My wishes:

- A rebirth of compassion. As residents of this country, we have come by our circumstances through the good fortune of being born in this time and place or having ancestors with the tenacity and foresight to find a better place to raise a family. Frankly, we did nothing to earn the circumstances of our place of birth except our position in front of the queue on the day we were born. Conversely, people without the good fortune of freedom, opportunity, and domestic tranquility did nothing to deserve their circumstances except to come to the front of the birth queue at the wrong time and place. Is it unreasonable to have compassion for people struggling to protect their families and give them a safe place to live and grow? How does separating families and building walls instead of bridges speak to our history of compassion? Many of our citizens have elected to take their good fortune for granted and worse yet, turn their backs on those who are in need. This must change in 2019 if we want to hold our heads high with pride.

- Rediscover collaboration and cooperation in addressing issues instead of the senseless attack mode in which we are mired. I am sick and tired of opening the news every morning and finding groups and individuals vilified merely because they have an opposing opinion. Whether there is any truth to the attacks is totally irrelevant. When does it stop? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see attacks replaced with an appeal for sitting down together and hammering out a solution not based on insulting and demeaning 140 character lies?

- Elevating truth and honesty to the top of the behavior spectrum. It is unbelievably distressing to see leaders spew anything that they choose to fabricate without consequences. There was a time in the not too distant past when liars were relegated to the trash heap while they were typically criticized and ignored. Ironically, it is much easier to check the veracity of the speaker in today’s world of instant communication and data retrieval, yet we have gone in the opposite direction. Why? Because a significant percent of the population of this country doesn’t value integrity as highly as the entertainment or political value of the garbage being promulgated by people on their side of the aisle. How can a nation that seemingly relishes the characterization of a ‘Christian nation’ be so indifferent to truth?

- A resurgence of the recognition that we have the responsibility for the stewardship of our planet and environment. We urgently need to recognize that we have one planet on which to survive and if we ‘blow it,’ there is not another Kansas we can inhabit by clicking our heels three times. I literally cry every time I see another environmental regulation cast aside allowing the pollution of our air, earth, and water in the name of corporate greed. People who can influence policy in a positive fashion are pushed aside and replaced by incumbents without an iota of knowledge or background on environmental issues. I can only hope it is not too late, but for sure, every year we avoid our responsibility brings us closer to disaster.

- We need to reaffirm our historical status as a leader in the world where our values and moral underpinning were recognized as a model for other countries to emulate. For the most part, we have become the brunt of jokes and mockery as our leaders thumb their noses at global responsibility. I am not opposed to standing-up and insisting on reciprocity in our dealings, but I think this can be done with a dignity and maturity that seems to have fallen by the wayside. If we want to influence the rest of the world in shaping a community, that meets our mutual needs, we need to grow up and exercise our responsibility in a more mature manner.

- Lastly, I think it is time to set aside the caste mentality that has been growing for the last 20 years or so. We need to recognize that income and wealth disparity has a limit before it sows the seeds of our own destruction. When large numbers of our citizens need two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their head and basics on the table, while a tiny percentage of the population drinks bottled water in their gated communities, something is seriously wrong. The numbers speak for themselves. The so-called tax reform was just another income redistribution payback to pad the balance sheet of the wealthy. The majority of the ‘representatives’ we elect are now millionaires and have totally lost touch with the challenges of surviving at the minimum (or even middle-class) level of income. This is not how it was when I was growing-up in the 50’s and 60’s. Families could afford decent housing and a reasonable life style on a single wage earner’s salary. One parent could afford to stay home with the kids without financial ruin. Along the way, this model has gotten corrupted and it is rare that we don’t have latch-key kids in every home/apartment on the block. I am not talking about a Lexus in the driveway with a big red ribbon on the roof at Christmas. I am talking about basics – food, shelter, clothes, and transportation. We can do much better once we acknowledge that we created a culture of unprecedented income disparity. Chew on this awhile. The top 1% of wage earners earn more than 27 times the income of the bottom 99%, and the disparity keeps growing every year.

These are my half dozen wishes for a better society in 2019. Is it too much to ask for?

Losing Sight of the Mission

Every time I try to restore my faith in people something pops my balloon again. One of my volunteer colleagues at the V.A. clinic in Greenville told me about the visit to the clinic last Friday by the Secretary of the VA, Robert Wilkie. Kind of a big deal that a cabinet secretary would visit a community based outpatient clinic. I guess this explains why after two years we just got new framed pictures of Trump and Wilkie over the reception desk. Anyway, the entourage parked their big, shiny white Chevrolet Suburbans (3) right in front of the entrance under the overhang canopy where veterans are typically dropped off so they can enter the building with a small degree of protection from the elements. The entourage parked in front of the building for their two hour visit without regard for the veterans who have handicaps requiring wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or who have other mobility issues. I don't think anybody in the big, shiny SUV's had any of these conditions. What pisses me off is that so-called leaders fail to grasp the mission but put themselves above it. All the VA clinics and hospitals are there to serve the veterans and make their medical care as seamless as possible recognizing that many have physical limitations received serving their country. Obstructing the entrance so the veterans had to maneuver around the SUV caravan is a thoughtless act by a 'management team' that should know better. This isn't the Treasure Secretary or Department of Labor. It is the Veterans Administration. A caring management team would drop the visitors off in front of the building and go park in a remote section of the parking lot and then go get the cars a few minutes before the team is ready to leave. Another small example of ego trumping (excuse the verb) the mission.

Not a Round Trip

As I watch the events unfolding in the country defined by Trump, I can’t help being pessimistic about the road we have chosen (chosen for us) to go down.  My fear is that once we have gone down this road there is no returning – this may be a one-way trip.  Trump and his Republican lemmings have changed the narrative on how we view the traditional norms of our social and political structure.  Confessing a degree of naiveite, perhaps these ‘new’ norms were always slightly below the surface just waiting for a ‘champion’ to say it was “OK” to behave this way. Maybe a significant percent of our society wanted to openly embrace a different behavior but acquiesced to the popular social norms as a social convenience or were ‘brain washed’ by the distortion of the right-wing media.

I never thought I would see our ‘leaders’ say what they felt like saying whether there was any grain of truth or compassion in the statement.  As I grew-up and matured, I expected a modicum of honesty from our leaders (and peers), whether political, educational, or religious.  I am not talking about political or social hyperbole or even an ‘honest’ error in factual content, I am talking about blatant, made-up, deliberate, erroneous bullshit.  What is scary is that the speaker and his lemmings know that everything can be fact-checked with the speed of the internet or the quick cuing-up of videotapes, yet they factually do not care.  We are redefining truth to a moment in time where it is expedient to say whatever you feel like saying.  The road we are going down doesn’t seem to put much weight on factual content.

For a moment, let me pick on the propaganda arm of the Republican party – FOX News.  It is consistently rated the least truthful source of the major media news outlets with independent data suggesting that 60-80% of all the news is mostly to completely false to ‘pants-on-fire’ false.  In fairness to FOX, other news outlets have an unacceptable level of truthfulness, just not to degree practiced by FOX, nor with the political sanctions of FOX.  Ironically, Trump’s whipping post, CNN seems to consistently rate the highest in truthfulness.  The fact that we have to fact check our news sources (any one) already makes my point.  We seem to calmly accept the notion that we will be lied to on a regular basis.  What kind of road have we chosen that routinely accepts (aka ignores) the truth.  I can’t help being constantly reminded of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s oft quoted line, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

What has this level of dishonesty spawned?  I think its first cousin is a level of hypocrisy which is alarming.  I confess that I am astounded by the so-called religious leaders of this country who can embrace a president of such defective moral character that he is the antithesis of everything I learned that religion stood for when I was growing up.  What kind of hypocrisy does one have to embrace to accept a president that openly talks about grappling women, has had multiple affairs (and marriages), constantly lies (see above), has zero humility, doesn’t even know the word empathy, attacks the defenseless, illegally profits from his office, and on and on?  How can religious leaders stand in front of their flocks on Sunday morning and sermonize about Christian values and then on Monday morning openly embrace the moral disaster called the “president?”  I think once on this road, there is no turning back and trying to put religious values back in the box and pretend that it is OK to behave like a cretin yet embrace and preach a contrary moral code.  In a parallel sense, this is like the Catholic Church promoting priests, bishops, and cardinals from parishes and dioceses known to cover-up pedophilia.

Once of the strengths of our form of democracy as envisioned by the writers of the constitution was a system of checks and balances which if nothing else, forced compromise and reconciliation.  We have gone down a road which so distorts this notion that the any inkling of compromise is viewed as giving way to the enemy.  

Where is this road taking us?  I see a future with a new moral code.  If you think this ends with the current president and his lemmings, guess again.   I see a future where:

-           Everything that you disagree with is labeled “false news’ – right or wrong

-           Reporters and analysts are labeled whether they have affiliations or not

-           Moral behavior is no longer a limiting criterion for holding office

-           Religious doctrine is subordinated to political doctrine aka, the end justifies the means

-           Personal gain is a sanctioned and an unquestioned benefit of political office

-           Government ethics are non-existent or at least extremely elastic.

-           Rules and norms are constantly changing depending on who is in power at the moment.

-           Everything is short-term.  It is like a business run on quarterly reports. 

-           Climate change, environmental legacies, international relationships are no longer considered worthwhile investments.  Remember everything is measured in the short-term.

-          Competence and experience are subordinated to loyalty and political expediency in filling critical government posts.

-          The likelihood of ending gratuitous gun violence is even more remote than it has been which hasn’t been very likely, to date.

-          Compromise and accommodation will continue their disappearing act.

I don’t mean to sound like George Orwell, but the road ahead is a lot different than the road on which we have been accustomed to traveling.  A significant percent of the population of this country is not only willing to go down this road but seems to be willing to resort to violence, threats, and chicanery to stay on the path. 

The systems necessary to reverse the process seem to have been corrupted which makes a reversal of direction very difficult even if the majority were to demand it.  Money and power rule politics and as suggested by Gilens and Page of Princeton several years back, our democracy has been replaced by an Oligarchy.  Add to this, the corruption of the voting process, e.g. suppression and foreign intervention, by political greed and power retention, the ability to rise-up and ‘throw the bums out” has diminished if not vanished.

I don’t expect many, if any, will agree with this assessment, but it is how I see the country headed.  I think once down this road, it is not easy, maybe impossible, to return.  If “making America Great Again means creating unsustainable deficits, trashing the environment, attacking our allies, profiteering from political positions, killing social programs, and embracing our enemies, I want no part of it.

DGG

10/2018

Voter Suppression is an Affront to Democracy

Isn't it interesting when you can't modify your platform to appeal to the changing demographics of the voters of this country, take action to ensure the voters won't be able to vote for the opposition. The Republican controlled legislatures in this country are doing their best to suppress voters with a variety of tactics like gerrymandering, unnecessary ID requirements, administrative rejection of registrations, blocking students from registering, disallowing P.O. boxes as valid addresses, closing voting locations in minority precincts, etc. I guess I naively thoughts the objective in an open democracy was to encourage as many voters as possible to register and vote. It turns my stomach to see the underhanded tactics being employed to stack the deck in favor of the party in power. I am reminded of Napoleon's quote (possibly erroneously attributed), ‘I care not who casts the votes of a nation, provided I can count them." Shed another tear for the future of this country and then get up and fight and VOTE for what's right!