June 8

I got a whole lot of transplanting done yesterday. The last of the polka dot plants are in place. I thought I had six plants but didn't realize that what I picked up was two 8 packs. Oh well, all are in and seem happy. Most of the transplants I started had good root systems but the soft pack fell apart when I took them out of the pots. Thankfully, all of the plants are doing well, so far. I still have some seeds so I might directly plant some of those. It is already warm outside so I didn't do any gardening today other than looking at what I put in yesterday and cutting some grass that was growing under the fence that the mowers never seem to get at. We expect temps in there low 90sF with possible rain later on and over night.

David Kaiser at History Unfolding has an interesting post on governmental models and where #45 fits in. (Spoiler alert: he doesn't) I have been skeptical of the "rational actor" model even before I knew there was a name for it at least since the Nixon administration. He was famous for presenting himself as an over-the-top person who might do something insane. Also the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) policy of nuclear deterrence assumed that, of course, nobody really wants a nuclear war. Basically that all the parties are a) rational and b) rational in the same way. I always asked (and not at all silently) what happens if some leader decides "WTF! I figure that my people will be the majority of the survivors and will rule whatever comes after" or "Fine! I will obliterate the world and let my God sort out the dead souls." Either leader would be entirely rational by his/her lights. By the way I don't believe that the Homo Economics so beloved of economists is entirely rational either. If humans were rational economic actors propaganda and advertising wouldn't work so well.

William Astore at Tomdispatch also has a good post today. I have noticed the tendency to describe our military as "warriors" and wondered why it has become so pronounced. Why isn't the simple designation "soldier" enough. To go along with that, I have been bemused by the overuse of the term "hero" lately. And I have been very concerned by the militarization of the police that seems to go along with a "shoot first, ask questions later (if at all)" attitude. Someone this weekend who was interviewed on one of the news shows on TV noted in the discussion of police violence a phrase that "if all you have is a hammer, all problems look like nails." We have militarized out police so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that they have behaving as an occupying army.