February 24

OMG--here it is--the last week of the second month of the year. These first couple of months of 2020 have been unusual weatherwise. It seems to be warmer and drier than "normal." We have had snow but the warm temps have melted it. The only snow left are the rapidly shrinking piles from shoveling or plowing earlier snow falls. I saw some dramatic pictures of an island off Antarctica which has lost significant ice and significant melt pools. The temperatures there were what Los Angeles would have expected. Abnormal seems to be our "new normal."

In 2016, the man who became #45 annoyed me almost to the point of swearing a blue streak at the slightest incentive--and I had a lot of incentives. This time it is the Damnocrats. I think it was Will Rogers who said "I don't belong to any organized party. I'm a Democrat." Well, this year they are proving their lack of organization. Example A: the clustersf**k in Iowa. Example B: the incomprehensible set up in Nevada. Example C: a leadership so determined to knock Bernie Sanders out of the nomination they change the rules so a multi-billionaire Johnny-come-lately can participate in the debates.

I am not sure there is much difference between an alleged billionaire who opportunistically turned from Democrat to Republican to run for president and a certified billionaire who opportunistically turns from Democrat to Republican to run for Mayor of New York City then tuns independent to run for a third term as mayor and has recently turned Democrat to run for president. There is one difference: one can never admit he is wrong and so never apologizes for anything while the other has apologized for some of his misdeeds though his apologies have left a lot of people (myself included) unconvinced.

I am also not sure there is much difference between a party that has become a sycophantic wholly own subsidiary of Trump, Inc. and a Democratic Party that is more focused on "defeating Trump" than on the underlying reasons #45 won in the first place and might win again. Neither party is focusing on the electorate and what people need. Buttigieg said in a press conference that we didn't need a new revolution which he says is Sanders' program but reformation of the system to make it more responsive. Problem: a system that works well only for the top 1% may need a revolution to make it work for the majority it leaves out.

Andrew Bacevich at Tom Dispatch provided a good take on the events of the past month. I have often over the last several years thought of Daniel Boorstin's The Image.

All those who bray loudly about the un-electability  of Bernie Sanders I suggest should remember the 1960 election when we were told no Catholic would ever be President----or 2016 when everyone was sure #45 would never make it to the Oval Office.

The COVID-19 has become a major story. I just read Ugo Bardi's piece on it this morning. Actually, he writes about the response rather than the virus itself.