Musings …

Blog

  • People of NY v. Trump – The Weightiest Case

    We shouldn’t and we don’t usually dismiss history because it is in the past. That Trump was President is in the present. He paid for and clearly believed that the “Catch and Kill Scheme” could control information that could have lost him the election. The content is sleazy – that’s on him – but if we had known about these things when we needed to know about them, the horrific consequences of his regime might never have been.

    One of those consequences – hardly, if ever mentioned – are the people who are now dead on account of his politically motivated handling of the COVID catastrophe. How many thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousand out of the over a million of us who are gone have their blood on his hands?

    At first glance, the other cases might seem weightier than this one, the very survival of our Country being at stake and that is mighty weighty, but even without holding him accountable in those, we might survive.

    The people who would still be with us if he had lost the election – there’s no hope for them – they’re dead.

  • A Visit to Prospect Park Before the Epidemic

    I was on my way home from visiting with my wife Janet in the hospital. My route not only took me alongside Prospect Park, but to a miraculously available spot. The park was very busy, with families of the Orthodox all over the place, celebrating Sukkot. I waved the lulav and etrog for my first time.

    I decided early on in my walk that I would take every path or stair that went up. There were many.

    Prospect Park is spectacular. Since the park is roughly a huge square, you have no sense of the city surrounding, because you never see it. The possibilities of wandering around and getting lost are limitless. And I did. I ended up at the diagonally opposite point, Grand Army Plaza, from where I started my walk at Park Circle, at the foot of Ocean Parkway.

    Along my way I passed a gorgeous lake, a monument to George Washington – “GOOD GOD! WHAT BRAVE FELLOWS I MUST THIS DAY LOSE”

    A monument to Lafayette, and horse back riders, a taste of Autumn, and many paths and stairs going up and down. All this while listening to Bach’s Art of the Fugue and Cantatas.

    Today I got lucky again and parked at the Ocean Avenue entrance. Prospect Park is wonderful!

  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. A Film For Our Time!

    Fun to watch! A lot to think about, especially in light of 1/6. The film became contemporary, more than a historical movie from 1962. Not sure how its message related to its time. Not the same thesis as High Noon, but likewise relevant to a time of social, political and existential jeopardy. As of today – indeed, yesterday in the news – spot on. Specifically, voter intimidation:

    A lawless movement seeking hegemony by any means! Like now!

    It’s obvious that, as High Noon was for 1952, this was a message film for its 1962 audience. A Black man and Hispanics can attend school together with whites, but the Black can’t drink, and since he stays outside during the voting, presumably he can’t vote. I wonder why the story didn’t let Pompey take the drink? Did the film want him to take it. Did the film want the audience to want him to? I hope they did. I sure did!

    Interesting political choice by the newspaper editor: The legend would put a stop to Stewart’s ambition – his disappointment was palpable – but, the truth would set him free.

    Great supporting cast. No way to not love Andy Devine. Took a long time to recognize Edmund O’Brien. Thought of White Heat, “See ma, top of the world!”

    I had been hoping that Pompey shot Valance.

    Wonderful film!

  • Barring Trump From Running for Office

    Why does the Senate have to vote on barring Trump from holding Federal office until AFTER an Impeachment conviction? Why must it only vote if Trump Is convicted? Why not even if he is NOT convicted? Why not even BEFORE the conviction vote?

    What we have learned and clearly realized from Trump – a lesson that can be misused – is that the constitutionality of things can’t be determined until AFTER an action.

    Let the Senate vote to bar Trump before, after, is or isn’t convicted, and then determine the Constitutionality when Trump has to go to court to run for office.

    At the very least, Trump would have to immediately declare himself a candidate to establish his viability for his base, or wait until closer to 2024 and lose his hold.

  • We Must Expand Our Decency and Goodness to Include the Victims!

    In yesterday’s Facebook post I said:

    “Giuliani has Covid.”

    “Please media, if you are disinclined to say, in light of the people who have died because of him and his ilk, and in light of the heartbreak of countless friends, associates, and relatives, “Maybe there’s justice in the World,” just say NOTHING!

    This morning I was pleasantly surprised:

    Apparently my words, or sentiment, or cosmic coincidence, have reached some in the media. This morning, Stephanie Ruhle said that Giuliani had Covid. She and members of her family are recovering from Covid and she is doing her show from home. She mentioned Giuliani to introduce her opening segment on the devastation of the disease and continued with an explanation of her situation and all the “right” things she and her family have been doing and are continuing to do. Saying Giuliani had Covid was ALL she said about him. THANK YOU STEPHANIE!

    It is not necessary to go on to say the considerate and empathetic things that decent people feel the need to say, and that their inherent goodness compels them to do. Our compulsion should be to express our decency, goodness and empathy by ALWAYS INCLUDING our consideration of the victims, and by ALWAYS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the people who are responsible for promoting a carnage have disqualified themselves from any soothing.

    Earlier, Mika Brzezinski, responding to a tweet from Giuliani went much farther. She said, “Well isn’t that nice for him!”

    Media, if you can’t bring yourself to be like Mika, then do as Stephanie did. Just say NOTHING!

  • Bob Woodward Should Have Outed Trump When it Would Have Mattered!

    It is truly a shame that villains – like Trump – have an exquisite sense of right and wrong, especially wrong! Years ago I read Nixon’s memoir – written to be part of his self-rehabilitation. I was struck by his pitch perfect sense of ethics and responsibility. Knowing right and wrong is one thing, but being a subscriber is another.

    As we all know, on February 7th Bob Woodward caught Trump on tape clearly understanding the dangers of the Virus and outright acknowledging its calamitous potential. Just now, Trump correctly called out Bob Woodward for not speaking out immediately after it became clear that he, Trump, was grossly downplaying the situation, etc. And Woodward, like John Bolton, is guilty of holding out for publication at the expense of the National Good.

    We will now be arguing about the comparative responsibilities of Woodward and Trump. Trump clearly understands the “right” of speaking out, and the “wrong” of holding back. He’s surely not a subscriber to ethics and morality, but his clear sense of them ably arms him against those who screw up.

  • What if Georgia Can’t Hold Elections on Election Day?

    Yesterday, the governor of Georgia instituted legal action to prevent the executive order of the mayor of Atlanta requiring masks in the city. It can’t be so insane, far beyond the possibility of actually being insane, without a reason.

    A question? What if the virus come election day has created a situation so chaotic that holding the election, not nationally, but in just one state, say Georgia, isn’t feasible?

  • We Need a Test For Those Who Had the Virus and are No Longer Infectious!

    My question:

    Is there a test that can tell us that someone had the virus already, and can no longer communicate the disease to others? This, for any who had symptoms, or had no symptoms at all. These would then be safe to join the workforce. Some official certification, like a pin or badge, could indicate to others that they were safe. The consequences of such a test that reveals to us those who are safe are vast.

    We will know who is safe!

    These will not have to sequester themselves, and therefore be available to help others. This especially applies to heath care and other essential personnel. These would be safe to congregate, among themselves and with others. We would know who can join the “emerging return to society” and hasten its return.

    At the moment there are more pressing needs for testing and allocation of resources, but the time for this test SHOULD come.

  • Should the Democratic Candidate Accept Mike Bloomberg’s Help?

    Mike Bloomberg will support the Democratic nominee through to election day, even if he is not the nominee. Should the nominee accept his help? This question applies to any of the candidates, but is of particular significance to the “anti-billionaire” candidates, Sanders and Warren. Would accepting Bloomberg’s help be ethical?

    The answer depends on understanding “Capital P” Pragmatism. It is not the pragmatism of “pragmatically” using a screw driver to screw in a screw. In Pragmatism, in difficult ethical choice situations, the two famous formulas, “The ends justify the means,” or the abjectly amoral, “If it works it’s good,” apply. In dire situations like ours with Trump, the question is addressed in an original Star Trek episode, “Does survival cancel programming?” The answer depends on our understanding of “P” Pragmatism. If we survive, can we forgive ourselves for the heinous thing we had to do to survive? In “P” Pragmatism, we have no problem, we cancel programming, because either amoral formula escapes ethical scrutiny.

    If, for example, Elizabeth Warren, believes that she will lose without Bloomberg’s help, should she take it and be able to look at herself in the mirror. The key question: Whether or not she cares, can we look at ourselves in the mirror after voting for her?

    If she, or we, don’t care, we have excused ourselves for doing an awful thing by taking the Pragmatic off ramp into the universe of amorality. It is “the caring” about the ethics of our choices that distinguishes the ethical world of morality, from the ethical void of Pragmatism. Observing the actions of others will NOT inform us of this difference, because we cannot be in the minds of others to know whether or not they care.

    But we CAN know within ourselves. If we don’t care, we will excuse ourselves and go on to excuse ourselves in likewise fashion for the next “survival” action that would trouble us if we cared. That’s Pragmatism!

    If we care, we will say to ourselves, “Oh my God! What I had to do! I will never forget what I had to do! And I will live my life going forward, to NEVER be responsible for getting myself into any situation where I felt I could not forgive myself for what I had to do. That’s ETHICS!

    ___

    The concept of “P” Pragmatism and its implications draws heavily on my readings of Any Rand on the subject.

  • How Does Ukraine’s Helping Trump Jeopardize our National Security?

    Our media needs to incorporate into their presentations a retinue of mantra issues. Take note: That is exactly what Trump’s choir does all day long. We must help the public to understand and appreciate key issues in depth. There are many issues left adrift. Often mentioned, but hardly ever explained, is that Trump’s solicitation of a Ukraine investigation of the Bidens damages our national security. But how does it do that? I have heard the “how” just two, or perhaps only three times.

    If Ukraine helps Trump to avoid impeachment, or to get re-elected, Ukraine will lose the support of Democrats. Ukraine is fighting a hot war with Russia right now. Given the “coincidence” that most everything we have been doing in international affairs benefits Putin, losing Democratic resistance to protecting Ukraine will jeopardize Ukraine’s independent existence. Losing Ukraine to Russia would be a disaster!

    There are other critical issues that should be brought up every day AND explained. Here, reiterating, however often, that Ukraine working on behalf of Trump is bad for national secutity has little power without explaining how. The power of understanding is in the HOW: Losing Democratic support could lose Ukraine to Russia and Putin. This knowledge MUST be kept in the public mind.

    This, and all other KEY elements to a crystal clear BIG Picture sense of what is happening, must be brought home to all of us – especially to those who without it would have muddled impressions – and must be brought home each and every day!