Archive for April, 2024
Explaining Bill Barr
One of the most famous quotes of the Vietnam War was published in an AP story by Peter Arnett on February 7, 1968. Describing an operation at the village of Ben Tre, an unnamed American army major said, “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”
It was a sentence that seemed to capture the insanity of American policy with respect to the whole Vietnam War. It also explains the insanity of Bill Barr’s support of Donald Trump for president.
Bill Barr is prepared to destroy the country to save it from progressive policies.
He knows that Trump is a danger to democracy. He accused him of “abuse of power,” called his claims of voter fraud that denied him victory as “bullshit” and compared a second Trump term to the country playing “Russian roulette.” Yet, he has declared that he will vote for Trump because the “progressive agenda” is even more dangerous.
One wonders what progressive policies are so threatening to America? Student loan forgiveness? Infrastructure spending? Child development subsidies? Reproductive healthcare for women? (Yeah, that’s probably it).
In a way, his position on the presidential race is a huge compliment to Joe Biden. He said, “I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country.” He’s betting that Trump’s incompetence will save us…again. While that may have saved us in his first term, the team around Trump this time will be fully prepared to impose authoritarian rule in the second term. While Trump is busy nursing and massaging his many grievances, his army of wannabe-be fascists will be relentlessly dismantling the “administrative state.”
What Barr really fears more than Biden’s ideology is his effectiveness. Biden gets shit done!
That’s why Barr is willing to debase himself before Trump. Trump has rewarded Barr for his endorsement with ruthless ridicule. Here’s Trump’s thank you note:
“Wow! Former A.G. Bill Barr, who let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country, has just Endorsed me for President despite the fact that I called him ‘Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy’ (New York Post!),” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word ‘Lethargic’ from my statement. Thank you Bill.”
Fortunately, nobody really cares what Bill Barr thinks about the presidential race. The rest of us just have to make damn sure that Biden wins.
Democrats Win in a Landslide. A Realigning Election
OK, I’m dreamcasting (new word I’ve just learned). But I really think it’s a possibility, albeit remote. I write it just to see it in print. And as a response to all the talking heads that are forecasting how this election is going to turn out.
I’m tired of hearing how close it’s going to be. Or what this or that state is going to do. Or how this or that development will have a minimal impact on the outcome. All of these analyses assume that the political situation is largely fixed and that we will only see movement by the electorate on the margins. What all this commentary does is normalize a political situation that is simply not normal.
I like reading the Hopium Chronicles by Simon Rosenberg. He is both optimistic and realistic. But his main case is that nothing will happen to Trump between now and the election that will help him politically. Trump has a high floor but a low ceiling. He’s never been above 50%. And the more visible he is, the less the voters like him. Things could happen to Biden that will help him politically, like a health issue or an international crisis. But Trump, for himself, is facing nothing but bad news, day after day, week after week, month after month. Combine that with the utter clown show that the Republicans are running in the House of Representatives, and it could be a perfect storm. Maybe political gravity will reassert itself.
It makes my head explode to see that the polls are tied now. The fact that half the country wants Trump back in the White House again is beyond stunning. It validates a good description of America passed on by my friend Luke as the United States of Morons. I just have to believe that the steady diet of information about Trump’s loathsomeness will take its toll. And, by the time November rolls around, the voters will come to their senses and reject Trump, MAGA and the whole Republican Party. I can dream, can’t I?
If not, i guess i will have the benefit of having lived to witness the decline and fall of a once great country.
Come and Get Your Love, Chapter 2
A couple of years ago, I did a series of posts on great musical moments in movies. These were scenes in which the movie incorporates a piece of music into a scene that captures and emphasizes the emotion that the movie is evoking. I absolutely love it when a movie does that well. I am invariably moved to tears and not necessarily because the scene is sad. It is just the artistic power of combing storytelling with the exact right song that touches me so deeply.
One of my favorites of these kinds of moments is from the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. The movie begins with the main character as a 10 year old child at his mother’s deathbed. He refuses to take her hand and runs out of the house in grief. He is then beamed up to a spaceship.
The scene switches to a very dark ominous place, some kind of ruin, with a spaceman character walking cautiously through the rubble. Suddenly, the mood changes and the song Come and Get Your Love blasts on the soundtrack and the credits start rolling.
I’ve already spoiled too much, so I’ll stop there. But it’s a brilliant use of music to set the tone of a movie. Click here to read the post and watch the scene.
Well, here we are, two years later and we have “the rest of the story,” as old timey radio man, Paul Harvey, used to say.
The song, Come and Get Your Love, was recorded by a band called Redbone in 1974. The band was comprised of American Indians. In order to mark the 50th anniversary of the song, NPR did a story on the song and the band. It’s a fascinating account of how the band was formed and some challenges they faced due to their heritage. It also has a link to a video of the band performing the song that begins with one of the band members doing an amazing tradition Indian dance.
The endurance of the song is reflected in the fact that they only did an official music video after the movie. That is posted above and includes references to the movie and the band’s Indian heritage. Funky, but good.
A Morning Walk with Rozzie
Today, I walked with Rozzie in the park. Listened to the Irish novel called Bee Sting. A Luke recommendation. I enjoy Irish novels, mostly due to the brogue on the audiobook. It’s about two teenage girls in Dublin. Both are wealthy, though one, the main character, is on the downslope. The other is a superficial pretty girl. Hijinks ensue.
A Visit to One Vanderbilt Summit
One Vanderbilt
As part of our GRE meeting, the Council did a little field trip to a new skyscraper called one Vanderbilt. It is described as an “immersive experience.” When you arrive, you are herded through some lines into a dark tunnel. You watch a loud video on a surround screen that shows the construction of the building. You wait in another line for an elevator and the immersive experience begins.
The Elevator
The elevator has mirrors all around, walls, ceiling and floor. As it ascends,there are loud sounds and flashing lights. The motion of the elevator is barely perceptible, but it must be moving fast since you get to the 91st floor in less than a minute. You exit the elevator on to an observation deck that is all mirrors and stainless steel….and people. The view of New York City is spectacular.
The Observation Deck
You walk around wide-eyed, trying to orient yourself. Your brain has trouble processing what you’re seeing. There are a number of rooms and levels. One room is full of silver balloons that people are batting around. Another exhibit is a huge screen depicting rolling clouds that form into the faces of the people viewing the exhibit. That one’s pretty creepy.
It was a great experience. I found out later that it cost $46 a person. Good as it was, I would never have paid that out of pocket. But it was a good take and I got some pretty good pictures.
