#499 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday November 3)
Good morning,
NEWS FROM ANOTHER PLANET
When I write about the 60s, 70s or 80s, I have a dear friend who often responds to these Musings with comments like “thanks for the message from our home planet.” That “home planet” is the era of our youth, when there was some sense that we lived in a common enlightened civilization that believed in science and had hope for the future. Importantly, civility toward each other (including those we didn’t even know) was part-and-parcel to what was expected of us as citizens. This is not to suggest that these times were universally idyllic, but that we had a sense that the idyllic could be experienced in small bits every day, we shared some amount of idealism, and we could work toward an idyllic future.
DOES THIS NEW PLANET SUPPORT INTELLIGENT LIFE?
When sitting back and imaging our nation in, say the 1980s or 1990s, in the post-Enlightenment, well-educated America (even with the division sometimes engendered by Reagan or Clinton), it is nearly impossible to believe that the following news stories could ever exist (much less at the same time), reflective of the condition of the world in our current moment:
Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked by someone out to get her. “Where’s Nancy…” As I have warned, we are going to see far more acts of political violence, including assassinations, in the coming months and years. We have a well-armed population and their anger increasingly is being stoked and they are being called to arms with incendiary phrases and threats that liberals are destroying America.
The aforementioned attacker apparently had a long history of antisemitic rants on social media and accused Pelosi of being manipulated by Jewish power. This, together with the antisemitism of Ye (formerly Kanye) and the “Goyim Defense League,” point to an environment when The Protocols of the Elders of Zion may seem to some like a science text, rather than the Tsarist-era poison that it was.
Vladimir Putin appears at his annual Valdi Discussion Club in Russia and, rather than addressing aggression against Ukraine or foreign policy, reaching out instead to conservatives in the West. He attacked gay people, trans people, and the “cancel culture” of the “so-called West.” This guy is brilliant. He is trying to give the right wing in America and Europe reason to be supportive of the repressive Russian regime for common reason, ignoring the Ukraine war.
Kevin McCarthy, in a separate news story, in a tip of the hat to Mr. Putin, indicated Ukraine may not get the same support from the U.S. when the Republicans are in control. In other words, “Just wait, Mr. Putin! We’re coming to help!”
Mehmet Oz says that a women’s right to abortion should be governed by her, her doctors and her local political leaders. What a guy.
Elon Musk takes over Twitter and fires senior management. What happens next? If you can predict his actions, you’re a better person than I… But expect Trump, conspiracists, QAnon, et al. to have free rein on the social media platform. Peter Thiel is single-handedly funding and making competitive an election in Arizona, a state in which he does not live, with an election-denying candidate. The era of the oligarchs is here. We have made it easy for people to accumulate vast wealth, often without paying a meaningful tax share, and buy influence and platforms heretofore unimaginable in scope and effect.
Marjorie Taylor Greene warned companies that stopped contributing to GOP campaigns after the January 6th attack on the Capitol that “they are not going to be forgotten.” She went on to promise investigations of these companies.
The flu season is going to be longer and more severe than in 13 years.
Herschel Walker has yet another woman claiming he paid for her abortion, leading Bill Maher to claim, “He’s been responsible for more abortions than Planned Parenthood.”
Republicans anticipating gaining control of the House have given indications that impeachment proceedings are in the offing, not only for President Biden, but Vice-President Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. The hearings leading up to these impeachment votes will be relentless and will be led by the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, who likely will be part of the leadership.
Ted Cruz says that Biden will be opined “whether it’s justified or not.” “The Democrats weaponized impeachment,” says Senator Cruz, “They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him. And one of the real disadvantages…is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel…what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Ted ignores the real grounds for impeaching Mr. Trump. It wasn’t on policy or politics. The two proceedings were based upon unprecedented abuse of power by the President, first in enlisting a foreign leader to do his political beckoning and second, for inciting a riot and trying to execute a coup.
Watching the Pennsylvania Senatorial debate exposed Dr. Oz as the under-qualified flim-flam man that he is. And it exposed John Fetterman as still retaining some of the effects of his stroke. How did the Republicans allow this nut-job to get the nomination? And how did the Democrats—AND Fetterman himself—allow him to continue and not replace him as their candidate when they had the chance?
A Trump appointed judge in Arizona has ruled that “patriots” gathering around ballot drop boxes to intimidate voters actually aren’t intimidating voters and may continue. The leader’s post on Truth Social, Trump’s favorite platform says: “I am FULLY STOKED that the ballot trafficking mules are about to be completely doxed and put on blast at every drop box across America VERY SOON.” [I’m not even sure what the message is in this “message”…!]
THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE NEARLY HERE
From the time I was a kid, election night has been my favorite holiday (well, after the “food festivals” of gratitude, Thanksgiving and Passover). I loved poring over data, reading position papers, and hanging on the declarations of election results into the wee hours. I remember vividly watching the election results on the black and white cathode ray TV from the floor in my parents’ bedroom, with both of them sound asleep.
Alas, this singular pleasure of watching thoughtful people running against each other based upon issues has morphed into what will be an evening of woe and fear. Woe that our civilization has become so vile, vindictive, and anti-intellectual. Fear because of what I can only imagine how a Congress under the thrall of election deniers will dedicate itself to investigations of Hunter Biden, State legislatures will take partisan control of election results, social media platforms will give even greater voice to purveyors of hate and violence, and election officials and school board members will be further encouraged and accepted. In the meantime, we will see more attacks on elected officials.
REGARDLESS OF THE ULTIMATE RESULT IN ANY SINGLE ELECTION…
In the meantime:
40% of all Americans fear violence and intimidation around voting this year.
Next week the country will elect hundreds of Republicans who are election deniers, who don’t believe Joe Biden was elected president, who were opposed to the impeachment of Donald Trump and felt there shouldn’t have been a January 6th committee.
We live in dangerous and perplexing times.
Have a great day,
Glenn