Monday, September 9, 2024
I listened to a little snippet of Neil deGrasse Tyson. It involves cat ladies. Probably, childless cat ladies. In the Middle Ages there was a plague called The Black Death. The disease was carried by fleas that were on rats and mice. The people at the time didn’t know this little fact. But there were women who lived alone with their cats. Cats kill mice and rats. As people were dying from the plague these women were not. What explained this wondered the villagers? Obviously, those women were witches. You know the rest.
This is an example of when reality intermeshes with fantasy. We have this today. It’s in religion. It’s in politics. It’s in our media. And it is dangerous.
Okay, let’s take religion first. I, like many people, believe you can pray to whomever you want. That’s your choice. But when you allow that belief to make you act in a way that impinges on others’ freedom or is detrimental to our planet or life, then we have a problem. We’ve all read or heard about cases of children dying because their parents did not believe in medicine and doctors. This has carried into our politics when the Governor of Florida appointed a quack doctor to head up health care for the state, or when Ms Greene accused Dr. Fauci of killing people. (I’d like to ask Ms Greene if she had a mysterious disease who she’d like to have trying to figure it out the witch doctor or Dr. Fauci?)
The media has become addicted to clicks and likes to stir the pot rather than tell the truth. The New York Times has become mean. The Washington Post a right wingish hack. Why? Many parts of the country only get right wing coverage. What chance do they have of knowing reality?
How many cooked up conspiracy theories have we seen politicians and investigators run down? Some, maybe most, for hopeful political gain. What was Zelensky to do when Trump asked him to find the server that the Democrats had in Ukraine? There was no server, it was a made up lie by some right wing trolls. What about Trump moving our embassy to Jerusalem? Why did he do it? Because a pastor of a mega-church with fundamentalist views wants to cause trouble so that god will come down and cause the big – what’s it called? – where the good souls will fly up to heaven? (And why does he think he’d be among them?)
This stuff is dangerous. It’s more dangerous when people in positions to do something repeat this nonsense, or worse, act on it.
I’ve heard that Ted Cruz is a smart guy. That what he says publicly is for effect, for his base, and that he knows better. Maybe, he does, but so what? He’s dangerous. When he led the charge in the Senate to overturn the 2016 election based on lies; it was dangerous. As far as understanding his job as a senator – running away to Cancun when his state was in peril demonstrates a total lack of understanding, not to mention a lack of courage. When the chips are down and you’re fighting for your life would you want Ted standing by you?
Rolling Stone had an interview with Nancy Pelosi. I recommend everyone read it. She not only is a leader, but she understands reality, and winning. She is compassionate and helpful. She knows how to win and how to get things done.
She pointed out that one of the things Biden did was to add $2T to our economy.
Let’s compare that to what Trump did. No, wait, let’s compare it to what Trump says he’ll do. He’ll put a 15% sales tax on everything. So let’s look at gas prices. Right now they are $3.38 (they’ve been lower recently, even $2.95) but 15% of $3.38 is 51.9¢ That means gas under Trump will be $3.90. Are you ready to pay four bucks a gallon? That’s reality under a fantasy of The Donald.
And that’s just the tip of the foolishness.
I’d talk policy, but Trump has none. Wait. He does. It’s based on basic misunderstandings of reality, of science, of economics, of people.
He thinks you should get a flu shot if you catch the flu. He thinks imposing a tariff will punish the country being tariffed. He thinks people want this.
Okay. Gotta stop.
One more thing: J. D. Vance. He said one thing that was true. Way back when he called Trump “American Hitler.” That is true and our country is going through the same contortions that Germany went through in the 1930s. Hopefully, we’ll do better.
Let’s talk pumpkins. Every year I try to grow pumpkins. Every year is a disappointment. This comes from my failure as a child to grow pumpkins. Not a complete failure, at least then I got a little one back then (careful). Now? If I’m lucky I get some vines and some blossoms. Then the bugs eat into the vine and kill the whole thing. A few years ago I went out and bought two little pumpkins and put them near the vine. The next week I bought two huge pumpkins. This year? Well see for yourself.
I’m kind of ashamed because there was a little vine, but it disappeared before I could get the pumpkin out there. Life goes on.
