I once had this naive idea that once Trump became President, I'd have difficulty finding my daily links for my Trump Log. The opposite has happened. I find so much each day, it is difficult to choose which link to go with.
I can't seem to get away from it. I listen to an interview with Journalist Evan Osnos on NPR's Fresh Air that seemed to have nothing to do with Trump and yet I hear terrifying news on this show as well (NPR's Fresh Air - show from January 25th - "Survival of the Richest"). Towards the end of the interview, he talks about Trump's insistence on using the one China policy as a bargaining chip. His observations are very scary. This is one policy that China deems non-negotiable and will go to war over it. Trump has already violated it and offended them by calling Taiwan. Trump is unhinged and he has a nuclear arsenal at his disposal. He needs to removed from office, not later, but now.
1/31/17 - The number of travelers affected by Trump's Muslim-ban is much higher than the administration says. They continue to lie to us on an unprecedented scale. (Source: Washington Post)
1/30/17 - Trump's first week sets the bar very low. Sean Spicer and he have lied so much that it will be difficult to believe them in the weeks to come. When something really important comes up, how will we know we can trust them or that we are hearing the truth? (Source: The Atlantic)
1/29/17 - The director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff were removed from the National Security Council. They will sit in on meetings only when their specific roles are discussed. In their place Trump
added white supremacist Steve Bannon who has no experience in such matters. This elevates the founder of fake news site Breibart News to a role beyond politics but into policy. (Source: Washington Post)
1/28/17 - Trump signed an executive order banning immigration from seven majority Muslim countries, yet three countries left off the list (Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) happen to be countries where Trump is doing business. His conflict of interest couldn't be more blatant. (Source: Bloomberg News)
1/27/17 - Four of the State Department's senior diplomats have been forced to resign. These are posts that usually have longevity spanning across administrations and decades. This means that Trump's state department, with the President and Secretary of State with no experience, has very little institutional memory. (Source: Washington Post)
1/26/17 - As we plummet toward peak oil, we need to move away from oil production and towards more renewable resources. Our prior President understood this, but Trump and his oil rich cabinet want to move us backward. It has nothing to do with jobs, it has to do with greed. (Source: New York Times)
1/25/17 - Trump institutes a gag order on the EPA. Under this order none of the employees can communicate with the media, no press releases, no blog posts, nothing. So much for transparency. This is something governments do when they are doing something that they shouldn't. What are they doing? Are they converting our Environmental Protection Agency to be a branch of the Energy Department? Who knows! (Source: Reuters)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Issue # 9 - posted January 10, 2017
Issue #10 - posted January 17, 2017
Issue #11 - posted January 25, 2017
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
American Carnage: Trump Log # 11
When you are born into privilege, equality feels like oppression. This is what is happening with white people in America. They feel a mere slide in their privilege and this makes them into reactionary thugs, blaming all their ills on immigrants and any shadowy other. Trump feeds on these fears. He appeals to these emotions, like a super villain, with his dog whistle racism and his aura of doom. His inauguration speech is an inaccurate portrayal of America as there could be. But inaccuracy doesn't matter to his mob of followers and white people still do okay in this country. While blacks make up 12 to 13% of our population, they make up 35% of our prison population and their unemployment is higher. Also, our country is in pretty good shape and on a good upswing. Crime, especially violent crime, is the lowest it has been in decades. Yet he feeds them (us) this steady diet of darkness with terms like "American carnage" and "despair and decay." Does he really believe this stuff? How would he know despair or carnage? The view from his ivory tower doesn't see that far.
Trump Log:
1/24/17 - Trump refuses to divest from Scottish golf courses. He resigned as director on the day before the inauguration, but remains in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. A conflict of interest between his presidency and his business interests still exist. (Source: The Guardian)
1/23/17 - For someone who claimed he was going to be ready on day one, he is extremely unprepared. (Source: New York Times)
1/22/17 - On Trump's first full day in office, he visited the intelligence community with the intention of mending their relationship after he compared them to Nazis on Twitter. Instead of addressing the rift, he instead went on a rant about the press and continued to lie about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. His press secretary seems to be as a big of a liar as he is. (Source: Washington Post)
1/21/17 - President Trump has already started to repeal parts of the ACA (aka Obamacare) with an executive order with no replacement plan anywhere close to ready. (Source: New York Times)
1/20/17 - On Inauguration Day, Trump's cabinet and staff are not only the least complete and least experienced, but will probably be the most corrupt. (Source: New York Times)
1/19/17 - Every public school teacher I know knows what IDEA is (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education doesn't. Other than No Child Left Behind, it is most important education bill in our lifetime. Devos is woefully unqualified. (Source:Washington Post)
1/18/17 - Human Rights Watch issued its annual report of threats to human rights around the world. For the first time in 27 years, the US is listed as a top threat because of the rise of Trump. (Source: New York Times)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Issue # 9 - posted January 10, 2017
Issue #10 - posted January 17, 2017
Trump Log:
1/24/17 - Trump refuses to divest from Scottish golf courses. He resigned as director on the day before the inauguration, but remains in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. A conflict of interest between his presidency and his business interests still exist. (Source: The Guardian)
1/23/17 - For someone who claimed he was going to be ready on day one, he is extremely unprepared. (Source: New York Times)
1/22/17 - On Trump's first full day in office, he visited the intelligence community with the intention of mending their relationship after he compared them to Nazis on Twitter. Instead of addressing the rift, he instead went on a rant about the press and continued to lie about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. His press secretary seems to be as a big of a liar as he is. (Source: Washington Post)
1/21/17 - President Trump has already started to repeal parts of the ACA (aka Obamacare) with an executive order with no replacement plan anywhere close to ready. (Source: New York Times)
1/20/17 - On Inauguration Day, Trump's cabinet and staff are not only the least complete and least experienced, but will probably be the most corrupt. (Source: New York Times)
1/19/17 - Every public school teacher I know knows what IDEA is (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education doesn't. Other than No Child Left Behind, it is most important education bill in our lifetime. Devos is woefully unqualified. (Source:Washington Post)
1/18/17 - Human Rights Watch issued its annual report of threats to human rights around the world. For the first time in 27 years, the US is listed as a top threat because of the rise of Trump. (Source: New York Times)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Issue # 9 - posted January 10, 2017
Issue #10 - posted January 17, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
The "Good German" Syndrome #thisisnotnormal
I get into a lot of political arguments on-line, particularly with close friends. We can joke around and name call crossing many lines of decor and still be friends at the end of the day. But this has changed a lot since Trump has been elected, because this is not normal. He was not a normal candidate and he will not be a normal president. He got elected by appealing to the basest of emotions and the only impression I can get from his cabinet and White House staff picks is that baseness is the new normal.
I have had people whom I disagree with in my life for decades. Some of them are very smart and some of them, not so. We respectfully disagreed until now, now we simply disagree. I cannot be respectful to anyone who supports Trump. If any other Republican candidate would have won, it would be different. But Trump is a fascist. I have decided to sever ties with those in his camp. This is mostly due to attrition and self preservation. I am tired of arguing and it is obvious that I am not going to change their minds. They have just gone too far this time. The respect I once had for them is gone. They are just not the people that I thought they were. Life goes on.
The problem with this is that when you are in a crowd of friends, you often feel like you have to be friends with everyone else's friends, even those that you think are idiots or reprehensible, to maintain the peace. One of my closest friend (let's call him G.G.), agrees with me about Trump and he is very angry with our mutual friends that voted for him, but his approach is very different than mine. He has them over and calls a "no politics" rule and they enjoy themselves. I cannot do this. I think some one's politics says a lot about them. In our last conversation, my question to him was this: "How far does this go?" What political belief will drive him away from an old friend? If having friends support a President that has a white supremacist on his staff and a global warming denier in charge of the EPA (among other things) doesn't drive him away from them, then what will? I guess we'll see.
I called him G.G. for a reason. G.G. stands the Good German. He's not German. The Good German is a term for those in 1930's Germany who were not Nazis but quietly stood by while the Nazis turned their country into a hell-scape. Most Germans weren't Nazis just like most Americans aren't Trump supporters. Good Germans don't want to rock the boat. They says stuff like "I didn't vote for him" or "I engage in some forms of protest" (a post on Facebook or occasional sarcasm suffices). These things make them feel better. The Good Germans want things to remain like they were, on the surface, even though they aren't under the surface. It is a form of denial. G.G. wants everyone to come over for football, let's remain friendly. Even though, he is friendly with someone who supports taking away the health care of another friend who is also in his living room, along with millions of other Americans. So lets just turn our backs on the fact that some of our friends are quietly killing our other friends. Lets grab a beer with someone who supports the registering and demonizing of people of different religions while another friend, in the same living room, could be of that religion. Just sit back, relax, grab a brew and a slice. The Good German wants to maintain the facade of peace even though we are really at war. The problems with maintaining the peace is that things can change quickly. You can stick your head up your ass for a moment, but this doesn't mean that by the time you pull it out, reality hasn't changed beyond recognition. If you normalize Trump, it may be difficult to go back to the old normal.
If you have been following the US presidential election this year and the fallout afterward, it is difficult not to compare Trump to Hitler in the early days of his political career. No one took Hitler seriously when he first ran for office ... just like Trump. He was a joke. He was an extremist crank that said outrageous things and pulled in big crowds who loved the spectacle. When he did get elected, he acted quickly against his opponents to give himself dictatorial power. It is difficult to see an American President doing this because the office is not very powerful by design. Unless he uses the police to arrest Democrats and burns down their headquarters, the comparison to Hitler can stop there. But the damage that Trump can do, to our environment, justice, civil rights, education, etc. is too great. Should you be speaking up? Think of your Trump friend as an addict, but instead of drugs or gambling, they are addicted to hate. If you turn your back and accept their addiction, you are simply an enabler.
I have one universal truth in my life ... if you surround yourself with jerks, you are going to be miserable. Back in 1990 I made a big change in my life, I moved away from my home. I was miserable and I needed a change. I cut myself off, mostly, from my old life. I barely talked to my family and old friends. I slowly stopped going home for the holidays. A great weight was lifted off of me. I felt like a new person. It was difficult and very lonely, but cathartic and entirely worth it. My life has gotten immeasurably better and I am happier with my life than ever. Just do it. Purge the Trump supporter from life, don't be a Good German .... you'd be surprised how good it feels.
I have had people whom I disagree with in my life for decades. Some of them are very smart and some of them, not so. We respectfully disagreed until now, now we simply disagree. I cannot be respectful to anyone who supports Trump. If any other Republican candidate would have won, it would be different. But Trump is a fascist. I have decided to sever ties with those in his camp. This is mostly due to attrition and self preservation. I am tired of arguing and it is obvious that I am not going to change their minds. They have just gone too far this time. The respect I once had for them is gone. They are just not the people that I thought they were. Life goes on.
The problem with this is that when you are in a crowd of friends, you often feel like you have to be friends with everyone else's friends, even those that you think are idiots or reprehensible, to maintain the peace. One of my closest friend (let's call him G.G.), agrees with me about Trump and he is very angry with our mutual friends that voted for him, but his approach is very different than mine. He has them over and calls a "no politics" rule and they enjoy themselves. I cannot do this. I think some one's politics says a lot about them. In our last conversation, my question to him was this: "How far does this go?" What political belief will drive him away from an old friend? If having friends support a President that has a white supremacist on his staff and a global warming denier in charge of the EPA (among other things) doesn't drive him away from them, then what will? I guess we'll see.
I called him G.G. for a reason. G.G. stands the Good German. He's not German. The Good German is a term for those in 1930's Germany who were not Nazis but quietly stood by while the Nazis turned their country into a hell-scape. Most Germans weren't Nazis just like most Americans aren't Trump supporters. Good Germans don't want to rock the boat. They says stuff like "I didn't vote for him" or "I engage in some forms of protest" (a post on Facebook or occasional sarcasm suffices). These things make them feel better. The Good Germans want things to remain like they were, on the surface, even though they aren't under the surface. It is a form of denial. G.G. wants everyone to come over for football, let's remain friendly. Even though, he is friendly with someone who supports taking away the health care of another friend who is also in his living room, along with millions of other Americans. So lets just turn our backs on the fact that some of our friends are quietly killing our other friends. Lets grab a beer with someone who supports the registering and demonizing of people of different religions while another friend, in the same living room, could be of that religion. Just sit back, relax, grab a brew and a slice. The Good German wants to maintain the facade of peace even though we are really at war. The problems with maintaining the peace is that things can change quickly. You can stick your head up your ass for a moment, but this doesn't mean that by the time you pull it out, reality hasn't changed beyond recognition. If you normalize Trump, it may be difficult to go back to the old normal.
If you have been following the US presidential election this year and the fallout afterward, it is difficult not to compare Trump to Hitler in the early days of his political career. No one took Hitler seriously when he first ran for office ... just like Trump. He was a joke. He was an extremist crank that said outrageous things and pulled in big crowds who loved the spectacle. When he did get elected, he acted quickly against his opponents to give himself dictatorial power. It is difficult to see an American President doing this because the office is not very powerful by design. Unless he uses the police to arrest Democrats and burns down their headquarters, the comparison to Hitler can stop there. But the damage that Trump can do, to our environment, justice, civil rights, education, etc. is too great. Should you be speaking up? Think of your Trump friend as an addict, but instead of drugs or gambling, they are addicted to hate. If you turn your back and accept their addiction, you are simply an enabler.
I have one universal truth in my life ... if you surround yourself with jerks, you are going to be miserable. Back in 1990 I made a big change in my life, I moved away from my home. I was miserable and I needed a change. I cut myself off, mostly, from my old life. I barely talked to my family and old friends. I slowly stopped going home for the holidays. A great weight was lifted off of me. I felt like a new person. It was difficult and very lonely, but cathartic and entirely worth it. My life has gotten immeasurably better and I am happier with my life than ever. Just do it. Purge the Trump supporter from life, don't be a Good German .... you'd be surprised how good it feels.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Our Last Week To Hold Our Heads Up Proud - Trump Log #10
Trump seems to be critical of everyone except Russia and Putin. He claims he wants a good working relationship with Putin. Perhaps, but I am not sure why he would not want the same working relationship with China or Congress or anyone else. I try to take people at their word, but with Trump, I am not sure why I should.
This week Buzzfeed released a dossier by British intelligence about how Russia has been collecting information about Trump for years, containing incriminating information both personal and professional. Both President Obama and the President-elect have been briefed on the contents of the dossier and it has been available to the media outlets for weeks yet no one has released it until now. Why? Mostly because it is difficult to substantiate. Most media outlets needed more verification on it. Buzzfeed, the new media, has less of a base in journalistic ethics, and decided not to sit on it anymore.
Are their contents true? Who knows! Did Trump pay prostitutes to pee on him while on a business trip? I don't know if we will ever know. Do I have a problem mentioning it? No. I remember how Trump used to spend the birther rumors about President Obama and he had no problem that there was no truth to it. It really makes you think, the one entity that he is nice to has dirt on him ... do we have a situation that our new leader is being blackmailed to ease sanctions on Russia? Who knows?
1/17/17 - Trump's war on the Fourth Estate begins. He plans to move the press briefings out of the White House and to be held less often. This means less access to media therefore less oversight from the people. (Source: PBS)
1/16/17 - European leaders are nervous over Trump's lack of support for EU and NATO. (Source: Washington Post)
1/15/17 - Trump's pick for the EPA is probably his worst pick of them all. The case Pruitt fought against the EPA at Alabama is a perfect example of why a strong Federal EPA is so important. Natural resources like water and air cross state borders. (Source: New York Times)
1/14/17 - Trump's pick for the head of the CIA might be his most frightening pick yet. Pompeo is anti-Muslim and a Christian soldier seemingly on a mission from God. (Source: Slate)
1/13/17 -Trump and his cabinet don't agree on much. This is no team of revivals, this is a team of type A assholes who are used to getting their way. The chasm is wide, much wider than usual. Here is a short list of subjects that they disagree on: the use of torture, the Iran agreement, Putin as a threat, ban on Muslim immigration, our commitment to NATO, nuclear policy, the validity of intelligence agencies' reports on Russian hacking, global climate change, the Paris Agreement and the Mexican border wall. (Source: New York Times)
1/12/17 - Half of Trump's cabinet has no government experience. Rex Tillerson's confirmation hearings shows one of the reason this is a problem. Answering to Senators, Congressmen and voters is very different than answering to shareholders. (Source: Washington Post)
1/11/17 - Trump just assigned anti-vaccine whack-job as chair of a panel on vaccine safety and scientific integrity. The war on science continues. (Source: Scientific American)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Issue # 9 - posted January 10, 2017
This week Buzzfeed released a dossier by British intelligence about how Russia has been collecting information about Trump for years, containing incriminating information both personal and professional. Both President Obama and the President-elect have been briefed on the contents of the dossier and it has been available to the media outlets for weeks yet no one has released it until now. Why? Mostly because it is difficult to substantiate. Most media outlets needed more verification on it. Buzzfeed, the new media, has less of a base in journalistic ethics, and decided not to sit on it anymore.
Are their contents true? Who knows! Did Trump pay prostitutes to pee on him while on a business trip? I don't know if we will ever know. Do I have a problem mentioning it? No. I remember how Trump used to spend the birther rumors about President Obama and he had no problem that there was no truth to it. It really makes you think, the one entity that he is nice to has dirt on him ... do we have a situation that our new leader is being blackmailed to ease sanctions on Russia? Who knows?
1/17/17 - Trump's war on the Fourth Estate begins. He plans to move the press briefings out of the White House and to be held less often. This means less access to media therefore less oversight from the people. (Source: PBS)
1/16/17 - European leaders are nervous over Trump's lack of support for EU and NATO. (Source: Washington Post)
1/15/17 - Trump's pick for the EPA is probably his worst pick of them all. The case Pruitt fought against the EPA at Alabama is a perfect example of why a strong Federal EPA is so important. Natural resources like water and air cross state borders. (Source: New York Times)
1/14/17 - Trump's pick for the head of the CIA might be his most frightening pick yet. Pompeo is anti-Muslim and a Christian soldier seemingly on a mission from God. (Source: Slate)
1/13/17 -Trump and his cabinet don't agree on much. This is no team of revivals, this is a team of type A assholes who are used to getting their way. The chasm is wide, much wider than usual. Here is a short list of subjects that they disagree on: the use of torture, the Iran agreement, Putin as a threat, ban on Muslim immigration, our commitment to NATO, nuclear policy, the validity of intelligence agencies' reports on Russian hacking, global climate change, the Paris Agreement and the Mexican border wall. (Source: New York Times)
1/12/17 - Half of Trump's cabinet has no government experience. Rex Tillerson's confirmation hearings shows one of the reason this is a problem. Answering to Senators, Congressmen and voters is very different than answering to shareholders. (Source: Washington Post)
1/11/17 - Trump just assigned anti-vaccine whack-job as chair of a panel on vaccine safety and scientific integrity. The war on science continues. (Source: Scientific American)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Issue # 9 - posted January 10, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Let the Confirmations (or Lack Thereof) Begin - Trump Log #9
How awful is Trump? Well ... the greatest actress in the English language just accepted a lifetime achievement award and spent her entire acceptance speech, not thanking everyone in her past, but bashing Trump. It says a lot.
The cabinet confirmations start this week. He has nominated the wealthiest and least experienced cabinet in history. Many of them have no experience in government on any level. The White House staff doesn't have to be approved by Congress. His top three advisers, Steven Bannon (white supremacist), Reince Priebus and Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) have never held a government job. It might be entertaining watching their first 100 days, but mostly it will be terrifying.
Lets hope that Congress does their job and rejects a bunch of them. I am not holding my breath on this.
This Week's Trump Log:
1/10/17 - Jeff Sessions confirmation hearings start today. Lets hope that his history of corruption in Alabama is brought to light. (Source: Slate)
1/9/17 - Jeff Sessions' record on the death penalty is terrifying. (Source: New York Times)
1/8/17 Trump's teenage-like trolling on Twitter is having real world affects on markets. There is no sign that this is going to stop. (Source: Washington Post)
1/7/17 - Trump still insists that Mexico will pay for a wall, something that is not needed, extremely expensive and impractical. No one outside the Trumpisphere believes that Mexico will pay for it. He wants to start building it with tax payer money and then get Mexico to pay for it afterward, while we have real infrastructure needs. (Source: New York Times)
1/6/17 - I'm not the only person who is scared shitless about this new president. Apparently, there are people who know much more than I do that is even more scared than I am. (Source: Politico)
1/5/17 - Trump plans to resurrect the torture policies from the Bush era and this will justify other countries to do the same. (Source: New York Times)
1/4/17 - If there is any issue that unites the left and right in America, it is the belief that the big banks need to be reigned in. Any hope of that being done just died with Trump nominating Jay Clayton as head of the SEC. (Source: Washington Post)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
The cabinet confirmations start this week. He has nominated the wealthiest and least experienced cabinet in history. Many of them have no experience in government on any level. The White House staff doesn't have to be approved by Congress. His top three advisers, Steven Bannon (white supremacist), Reince Priebus and Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) have never held a government job. It might be entertaining watching their first 100 days, but mostly it will be terrifying.
Lets hope that Congress does their job and rejects a bunch of them. I am not holding my breath on this.
This Week's Trump Log:
1/10/17 - Jeff Sessions confirmation hearings start today. Lets hope that his history of corruption in Alabama is brought to light. (Source: Slate)
1/9/17 - Jeff Sessions' record on the death penalty is terrifying. (Source: New York Times)
1/8/17 Trump's teenage-like trolling on Twitter is having real world affects on markets. There is no sign that this is going to stop. (Source: Washington Post)
1/7/17 - Trump still insists that Mexico will pay for a wall, something that is not needed, extremely expensive and impractical. No one outside the Trumpisphere believes that Mexico will pay for it. He wants to start building it with tax payer money and then get Mexico to pay for it afterward, while we have real infrastructure needs. (Source: New York Times)
1/6/17 - I'm not the only person who is scared shitless about this new president. Apparently, there are people who know much more than I do that is even more scared than I am. (Source: Politico)
1/5/17 - Trump plans to resurrect the torture policies from the Bush era and this will justify other countries to do the same. (Source: New York Times)
1/4/17 - If there is any issue that unites the left and right in America, it is the belief that the big banks need to be reigned in. Any hope of that being done just died with Trump nominating Jay Clayton as head of the SEC. (Source: Washington Post)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Issue # 8 - posted January 3, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Countdown to Armageddon - Trump Log # 8
January 20th is fast approaching. In a lot of ways, these Trump logs seem to be a countdown to the end of the world. We will have a president that ignores science as well as his own intelligence reports. He talks of starting a new Cold War while also being buddy-buddy with the tyrannical leader of Russia. He thumbs his nose at diplomatic protocol and is unpredictable and reactionary. I fear the worst while hoping for the best.
The hope I find is in his likelihood of impeachment. On his first day in office, if he doesn't divest, he will be violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. All we will need is the political will to impeach him. We'll need just a few members of his own party to jump ship which shouldn't be hard once his popularity tanks and even popular presidents tank occasionally. He will be inaugurated with a 40% approval rating which is miserable and nowhere close to a mandate.
Trump Log:
1/3/17 - One of Trump's campaign mantras was "drain the swamp," yet it seems he is not draining the swamp but simply making it bigger, appointing DC insiders, billionaires with little experience and yes-men to his cabinets and White House staff. Will his supporters notice or even care? (Source: Washington Post)
1/2/17 - All the fact checking web sites, throughout the election, showed Trump as the biggest liar among all the candidates. Lying has served him well, so there is no motivation to stop. Apparently, lying along with him might just be good for your pocketbook. (Source: New York Times)
1/1/17 - Happy New Year !
12/31/16 - Trump's latest consideration for Agricultural Secretary is a lot like Trump in that his opinions change depending on whoever is in the room. (Source: Politico)
12/30/16 - The relationship between Trump and Putin gets more concerning by the day. (Source: New York Times)
12/29/16 - Americans are incredibly ill informed, Trump supporters even more so. How bad will it get when Trump tries to please his base who believe some very outlandish things? (Source: Washington Post)
12/28/16 - With a weak, unknowledgeable Rick Perry as Energy Secretary, we could see a resurgence of nuclear testing. Which could motivation other countries to follow suit. (Source: New York Times)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
The hope I find is in his likelihood of impeachment. On his first day in office, if he doesn't divest, he will be violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. All we will need is the political will to impeach him. We'll need just a few members of his own party to jump ship which shouldn't be hard once his popularity tanks and even popular presidents tank occasionally. He will be inaugurated with a 40% approval rating which is miserable and nowhere close to a mandate.
Trump Log:
1/3/17 - One of Trump's campaign mantras was "drain the swamp," yet it seems he is not draining the swamp but simply making it bigger, appointing DC insiders, billionaires with little experience and yes-men to his cabinets and White House staff. Will his supporters notice or even care? (Source: Washington Post)
1/2/17 - All the fact checking web sites, throughout the election, showed Trump as the biggest liar among all the candidates. Lying has served him well, so there is no motivation to stop. Apparently, lying along with him might just be good for your pocketbook. (Source: New York Times)
1/1/17 - Happy New Year !
12/31/16 - Trump's latest consideration for Agricultural Secretary is a lot like Trump in that his opinions change depending on whoever is in the room. (Source: Politico)
12/30/16 - The relationship between Trump and Putin gets more concerning by the day. (Source: New York Times)
12/29/16 - Americans are incredibly ill informed, Trump supporters even more so. How bad will it get when Trump tries to please his base who believe some very outlandish things? (Source: Washington Post)
12/28/16 - With a weak, unknowledgeable Rick Perry as Energy Secretary, we could see a resurgence of nuclear testing. Which could motivation other countries to follow suit. (Source: New York Times)
****
Prior Trump Logs:
Issue # 1 - posted November 15th, 2016
Issue # 2 - posted November 22nd, 2016
Issue # 3 - posted November 29th, 2016
Issue # 4 - posted December 6, 2016
Issue # 5 - posted December 12, 2016
Issue # 6 - posted December 19, 2016
Issue # 7 - posted December 26, 2016
Monday, January 2, 2017
Picks of 2016
Regardless of this year's suckitude, I do still have my picks of the year.
MEDIA:
Best book I read in 2016:
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer was probably my favorite book this year. I 've read some really great books this year: Lafayette In the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Dead Wake by Erik Larson, The March by E.L. Doctorow and The Manticore by Robertson Davies. The Doerr book is definitely my favorite and I haven't even finished it yet. Even though, I am getting a little tired of the WW II era, the book still captures me with some really fantastic writing. It tells the story of two young people, one blind French girl and an orphaned German boy. Their stories are told in parallel as their worlds are crushed around them. I am relishing every page.
Favorite new movie:
Arrival was my favorite new movie this year. Some other favorites were The Big Short, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, A Man Called Ove, Manchester By the Sea and Florence Foster Jenkins. These are very different films but Arrival was definitely my favorite. It reminded me of Contact or 2001: A Space Odyssey in that it was a real science fiction, unlike Star Wars which is more like an action film in space. When you watch Arrival, you get the feeling that there is something going that you don't understand. Halfway through the film you start figuring it out and by the end, your mind is blown because the story is very different than what you thought. I need to watch it again now that I know what I know.
Favorite new TV show:
Best book I read in 2016:
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer was probably my favorite book this year. I 've read some really great books this year: Lafayette In the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Dead Wake by Erik Larson, The March by E.L. Doctorow and The Manticore by Robertson Davies. The Doerr book is definitely my favorite and I haven't even finished it yet. Even though, I am getting a little tired of the WW II era, the book still captures me with some really fantastic writing. It tells the story of two young people, one blind French girl and an orphaned German boy. Their stories are told in parallel as their worlds are crushed around them. I am relishing every page.
Favorite new movie:
Arrival was my favorite new movie this year. Some other favorites were The Big Short, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, A Man Called Ove, Manchester By the Sea and Florence Foster Jenkins. These are very different films but Arrival was definitely my favorite. It reminded me of Contact or 2001: A Space Odyssey in that it was a real science fiction, unlike Star Wars which is more like an action film in space. When you watch Arrival, you get the feeling that there is something going that you don't understand. Halfway through the film you start figuring it out and by the end, your mind is blown because the story is very different than what you thought. I need to watch it again now that I know what I know.
Favorite new TV show:
I've watch some great television this year: The Exorcist, Paranoid, Glitch, The Get Down, Stranger Things, Maron, Roadies, One Mississippi, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and This Is Us. My favorite is probably The Get Down which is a Netflix show about the early days of hip hop. It is full of great music without the nonsense of a musical. It is edgy but really sweet simultaneously. One of the things I like most about the show is that the child characters are really well developed. They are not your usual one dimensional children that you usually see on television and the young actors are up for it.
Two shows really surprised me The Exorcist and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I didn't expect anyone to make a decent show of the classic horror film The Exorcist, but it is actually a very good show. They captured the creepiness of the classic while also sustaining a story throughout the season. I am not a believer in demons and such, but still, I find this all very intriguing and good story telling. Also, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is hysterical. I don't like musicals at all, but I guess, musicals that laugh at musicals is fine. Regardless, it is very entertaining and the star, Rachel Bloom, is a joy to watch.
Two shows really surprised me The Exorcist and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I didn't expect anyone to make a decent show of the classic horror film The Exorcist, but it is actually a very good show. They captured the creepiness of the classic while also sustaining a story throughout the season. I am not a believer in demons and such, but still, I find this all very intriguing and good story telling. Also, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is hysterical. I don't like musicals at all, but I guess, musicals that laugh at musicals is fine. Regardless, it is very entertaining and the star, Rachel Bloom, is a joy to watch.
Favorite quote:
"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything," our future president. I don't really like this quote, but I think it best describes where we are as a nation ... not in a good place.
Favorite new podcast :
I've tried several new podcasts this year but most of them didn't cut it and I have unsubscribed. Among them are: Red Sox Beat Podcast, FiveThirtyEight Elections, What the Crime?, Dogsmarts and Rolling Stone Music Now.
I've found a few that I continue to listen to: Revisionist History, Radio Lab's More Perfect, the New Yorker Radio Hour, Next New England, You Must Remember This and Slate's Trumpcast.
Trumpcast is probably my favorite. It not only keeps you up on the doings of the orange douche-nozzle, but they are funny. The best part is when they have a Trump impersonator read his tweets of the week.
MUSIC:
Best concert I attended:
The best concert I went to was Brandi Carlyle at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. This is my favorite local venue and she put on a great show. I didn't go to a lot of shows this year, mostly because my wife is in graduate school again and she doesn't have time. I hope to go to more in 2017.
Best album:
I bought some great new albums this year, in MP3 format of course. I bought Ray Lamontagne's "Ouroboros," Avett Brother's "True Sadness," David Bowie's last album "Black Star," Andrew Bird's "Are You Serious," Rachel Yamagata's "Tightrope Walker," "A Monolith of Phobos" by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, "Human Performance" by the Parquet Courts and the soundtrack to "Roadies." I enjoyed all of them except for the Ray Lamontagne album, mostly because it is not what I expected from him. He usually delivers some decent bluesy pop songs but instead, he experimented and like many experiments, it failed.
It is difficult for me to pick a favorite out of all these, but since I have to pick one, I pick Andrew Bird's "Are You Serious." The lyrics are solid and the musical orchestration is phenomenal.
Favorite new songs:
I have 191 mp3 files of songs from 2016.
Here are some of my favorites:
"I Wish I Was Sober" by Frightened Rabbit
"Roma Fade," "The New Saint Jude" and "Capsized" by Andrew Bird
"Smithsonian," "I Wish I Was ..." and "Mama, I Don't Believe" by The Avett Brothers
"Golden Age" by Chris Staple
"No River" by Esmé Patterson
"Let Me Get There" by Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
"Call Off Your Dogs" by Lake Street Dive
"Berlin Got Blurry" by the Parquet Courts
"Water" by Ra Ra Riot and Rostam
"Over" by Rachel Yamagata
"Open Your Eyes" by School of Seven Bells
"Quiet Americans" by Shearwater
"Cricket and the Genie" by The Claypool Lennon Delirium
"In Bloom" by Sturgill Simpson
"Hands of Time" by Margo Price
"Beautiful Strangers" by Kevin Morby
"Rican Beach" by Hurray for the Riff Raff
"Atomic Number" by case/lang/veirs
Since I have to pick a favorite, I pick "Smithsonian" by the Avett Brothers. I find the tune addictive and the lyrics very assuming.
OTHER STUFF:
Favorite discovery of the year:
"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything," our future president. I don't really like this quote, but I think it best describes where we are as a nation ... not in a good place.
Favorite new podcast :
I've tried several new podcasts this year but most of them didn't cut it and I have unsubscribed. Among them are: Red Sox Beat Podcast, FiveThirtyEight Elections, What the Crime?, Dogsmarts and Rolling Stone Music Now.
I've found a few that I continue to listen to: Revisionist History, Radio Lab's More Perfect, the New Yorker Radio Hour, Next New England, You Must Remember This and Slate's Trumpcast.
Trumpcast is probably my favorite. It not only keeps you up on the doings of the orange douche-nozzle, but they are funny. The best part is when they have a Trump impersonator read his tweets of the week.
MUSIC:
Best concert I attended:
The best concert I went to was Brandi Carlyle at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. This is my favorite local venue and she put on a great show. I didn't go to a lot of shows this year, mostly because my wife is in graduate school again and she doesn't have time. I hope to go to more in 2017.
Best album:
I bought some great new albums this year, in MP3 format of course. I bought Ray Lamontagne's "Ouroboros," Avett Brother's "True Sadness," David Bowie's last album "Black Star," Andrew Bird's "Are You Serious," Rachel Yamagata's "Tightrope Walker," "A Monolith of Phobos" by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, "Human Performance" by the Parquet Courts and the soundtrack to "Roadies." I enjoyed all of them except for the Ray Lamontagne album, mostly because it is not what I expected from him. He usually delivers some decent bluesy pop songs but instead, he experimented and like many experiments, it failed.
It is difficult for me to pick a favorite out of all these, but since I have to pick one, I pick Andrew Bird's "Are You Serious." The lyrics are solid and the musical orchestration is phenomenal.
Favorite new songs:
I have 191 mp3 files of songs from 2016.
Here are some of my favorites:
"I Wish I Was Sober" by Frightened Rabbit
"Roma Fade," "The New Saint Jude" and "Capsized" by Andrew Bird
"Smithsonian," "I Wish I Was ..." and "Mama, I Don't Believe" by The Avett Brothers
"Golden Age" by Chris Staple
"No River" by Esmé Patterson
"Let Me Get There" by Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
"Call Off Your Dogs" by Lake Street Dive
"Berlin Got Blurry" by the Parquet Courts
"Water" by Ra Ra Riot and Rostam
"Over" by Rachel Yamagata
"Open Your Eyes" by School of Seven Bells
"Quiet Americans" by Shearwater
"Cricket and the Genie" by The Claypool Lennon Delirium
"In Bloom" by Sturgill Simpson
"Hands of Time" by Margo Price
"Beautiful Strangers" by Kevin Morby
"Rican Beach" by Hurray for the Riff Raff
"Atomic Number" by case/lang/veirs
Since I have to pick a favorite, I pick "Smithsonian" by the Avett Brothers. I find the tune addictive and the lyrics very assuming.
OTHER STUFF:
Favorite discovery of the year:
The Library of Congress is DC is perhaps the most beautiful building in the United States. The building alone is a good enough reason to visit. But then you get to see some of the most amazing books. There is a copy of the Guttenberg Bible, an original copy of Common Sense and Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." It is a really impressive place. You also get to see the remainder of Thomas Jefferson's personal library that he donated.
Best trip:
Our trip to Arizona was definitely our best trip, to see the Cubs in Spring Training, especially since this was the team that won the World Series. The Cactus League is such a better experience than the Grapefruit League in Florida. All the games in Arizona are a short drive from each other, around Phoenix, as opposed to Florida, which is all over the state. We got a close up look at all the Cubs' rookies and actually got to meet their manager Joe Madden (see my wife below getting a ball signed). We also met some old time greats like Bill Buckner, Fergie Jenkins and Lee Smith. Lee Smith was a lot of fun. He laughed at me when I told him the Red Sox were going to the playoffs. Jokes on him!
We also took a week long visit to Portland Maine, with our niece, mostly kayaking, walking
our dog on the beach, eating out, minor league baseball and visiting friends.
All other trips this year were relatively local: Boston (for Fenway),
Rhode Island, Connecticut and Montreal.
Our trip to Arizona was definitely our best trip, to see the Cubs in Spring Training, especially since this was the team that won the World Series. The Cactus League is such a better experience than the Grapefruit League in Florida. All the games in Arizona are a short drive from each other, around Phoenix, as opposed to Florida, which is all over the state. We got a close up look at all the Cubs' rookies and actually got to meet their manager Joe Madden (see my wife below getting a ball signed). We also met some old time greats like Bill Buckner, Fergie Jenkins and Lee Smith. Lee Smith was a lot of fun. He laughed at me when I told him the Red Sox were going to the playoffs. Jokes on him!
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