December 28

Rain this morning but the weather reports suggest we will be too warm throughout the day for snow. The weather continues to be strange.

We had to go out to pay rent this morning. But the week before Christmas we did our last grocery shopping until early January. Mom asked if we needed anything and I assured her that we are all set for anything I will be fixing for meals til late next week.

Stray thought: Over the weekend the news commentators interviewed an Israeli official who was skeptical of the casualty numbers put out by the Hamas run Health Service. The Health Service always describes about the casualties as civilians but never gives a number for Hamas fighters. As the Israeli spokesman noted to claim that all of the dead are civilians and no fighters were killed is nonsensical. The Hamas tactic is a dark reflection of the American view in Vietnam: If it is dead and Vietnamese it is Viet Gong regardless of age or sex. Hamas says the if it is dead and Palestinian it is civilian regardless of circumstances.

On the same theme: the news carried a reference to an interview a former (female) hostage gave the local news describing her experience. She said no one should make the mistake of thinking there are any civilians in Gaza. The Palestinians generally support Hamas and are complicit in everything that happens.

Another news segment dealt with Nikki Haley's gyrations in speaking about the causes of the Civil war without mentioning slavery. Bill Astore has a longer treatment of the problem generally. I repeatedly told students in the history classes I taught that no big event in history had ONLY one cause. The process always involves several trends or conflicts that interact in complicated ways. Geography ensured sectional development in economy, society, and government.The Constitutional Convention had to balance the differences between the sections to craft some form of government all thirteen former colonies could agree to. Slavery was deeply involved in all of the controversies that led up to the Civil War: the balance in power between the Federal Government and the various States, the economic competition between Northern states that was rapidly industrializing and on the backs of a free labor force and the Southern aristocratic agrarian system of plantation production for a world marked and its unfree labor system. Attitudes over slavery helped destroy the Whig party, split the Democrat Party into Northern and Southern parts, and did the same for several Protestant churches.

I will add one comment about Haley's attempt to not deal with the question in a straightforward way. When her questioner pressed her she responded: What do you want me to say about slavery? That is simply insulting and shows the chameleon character of someone who wants to find out what "color" she needs to be to not lose his or anyone else's vote.

Stray thought #2: The new 'caravan' of migrants moving north in Mexico has been a prominent feature of both the political demands for some kind of immigration reform (more or less stringent depending on which Party). However, what I haven't heard has been any discussion of WHY so many people are making that trek. Someone did mentioned that the people come from many different countries but no one is saying why they are moving. Just to say they hope for a better life doesn't cut it. Everyone wants a better life but not everyone decides to migrate.

Stray thought #3: So far we have two states (at least) that have reached two different decisions on the application of the 14 Amendment Section 3 to The Former Guy's ability to stay on primary ballots because of his actions on January 6. The Colorado GOP have appealed the Colorado case to the Supreme Court. The Michigan Case may be resurrected if TFG wins the primary. With all of the chaos some pundits want The Supremes bring some kind of order that will apply across the country. Problem: the Constitution mandates that elections will be held but leaves the actually mechanics of running the elections to the states themselves. What kind of vote counting systems will be used, how the candidates will be on ballots, and other such matters are left to the states.