Musings …

Blog

  • Yesterday, I got lost in Prospect Park

    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 parking 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!

  • Please Media, Don’t Shortcut the Facts – Trump Broke the Law – He Did NOT Admit To It

    Dear Media,

    Stop saying that Trump admitted that he broke the law. He did NOT do that. He admitted that he DID the things that ARE against the law. But these are not the same.

    Please! Say what he did, explain the law and the significance of that law, and then say that he acknowledged doing those things.

    Saying that Trump admitted that he broke the law can be countered successfully with a plain denial. Reiterating what he did, making clear the wrong, and then his admission to that, will keep the whole story in context. When you raise the subject, the public will be fully informed. It is the whole story: what he did; that it broke the law; that it was a critical law; that he said he did that thing, that will have the best chance of being understood, appreciated, resonate, and be remembered!

  • Trump Did Not Admit That He Broke the Law

    Dear Media,

    Stop saying that Trump admitted that he broke the law. He did NOT do that. He admitted that he DID the things that ARE against the law. But these are not the same.

    Please! Say what he did, explain the law and the significance of that law, and then say that he acknowledged doing those things.

    Saying that Trump admitted that he broke the law can be countered successfully with a plain denial. Reiterating what he did, making clear the wrong, and then his admission to that, will keep the whole story in context. When you raise the subject, the public will be fully informed. It is the whole story: what he did; that it broke the law; that it was a critical law; that he said he did that thing, that will have the best chance of being understood, appreciated, resonate, and be remembered!

  • It’s Time to Own Up to “What America Does,” When America Does Wrong!

    Last night on Bill Maher, Amy Klobuchar said, “I would never leave those Kurds, have left [those Kurds] for slaughter, like this guy has done. That’s not what America does!” WRONG! Unfortunately, that IS what America does.

    When I was a teenager my father explained to me that in international affairs – not to mention any affairs – it was of paramount importance for America to KEEP its word! That America be trusted!

    So many times we have broken trust over the years: Pakistan after the Soviets were defeated in Afghanistan; the Kurds after the first Gulf war; Gaddafi, after he gave up his WMDs and nuclear weapons program; … ; and now the Kurds again.

    No problem can be addressed that isn’t recognized, or worse yet, denied. Our Democratic candidates are in the best position to carry this message. They should all make the restoration of respect in the world for America a key issue. They must commit America to “Keeping its Word!”

    Amy! All of you! Everyone! Please say, “Unfortunately, we must restore “Keeping our Word” to what “America Does!”

  • Does Even Trump Believe His Accusations Against the Bidens

    Do we believe for a second, or even a nanosecond, that Trump and his minions, or even Trump himself, believe even a scintilla of the stuff they’re accusing the Bidens of doing. I don’t!

    It’s all about going through the motions in exponential quadruple spades, to create the illusion that there’s something there!

  • Three Strikes and Your Out Rule For Rude Guests

    This morning, spoken with desperation and a quaver in his voice, so rapidly it was hard to make out, Jake Tapper said to Jim Jordan, “AIl right, Congressman Jordan, we appreciate your appearance. Thank you so much for being here. My next guest …

    Those are the perfect words for releasing a guest, but they were spoken far too late. I like Jake Tapper, but he puts up with much too much. How about a three strikes and your out rule. The guest doesn’t need to be told the rule in advance. If Jake and other hosts applied the rule, we would still suffer, but for just three strikes.

    Three outrageous statements and you’re out: ONE for an outrageous statement; TWO for the second after being called on the first; and THREE for ignoring the call on the second.

    A host could then calmly say, “All right, [whomever] … My next guest is …” in a normal voice, without the quaver.

  • It’s Not What You Did Then, But How You’ve Lived Your Life Since!

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is embroiled in a scandal involving blackface that he wore for a yearbook picture and some shows. He has apologized profusely. But apologizing profusely is not the issue, even if before God, his apology is sincere and complete. What matters is how he’s lived his life since. Has he been a mensch or a far-from-mensch?

    Mitt Romney did an exponentially far worse thing in his youth, but he is certainly a better person now. As President we may not have agreed with him in everything, or anything, but he would have done the job with sincerity and responsibility. A mensch!

    If a person were a mensch, they would never do such a dastardly thing again. If a far-from-mensch, it would be a better world if without our knowledge of their nasty past, they had already been weeded out.

    Details in Yahoo News, if you’re interested.

  • Losing the Culture War!

    What’s on my mind? The culture war is on my mind! Just occurred to me that virtually every show I have been watching – on Netflix, Amazon Prime, regular cable shows that syndicate on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc, and even British TV – features inter-sexual love, inter-racial marriage, adoption, friendship, and perhaps worst of all, honorable dealing.

    Must be very hard to take on the other side of the culture war!

  • Buttigieg Should Withdraw NOW!

    Mayor Pete should not attend the Democratic Party debate. He should remain in South Bend and unsuccessfully deal with his problems with his Black Community. He should withdraw his candidacy immediately, if not sooner. His candidacy is dead!

    If I were a black South Bend resident, or resident of conscience of any stripe, I would promote an anti-Buttigieg agenda to destroy the possibility of his getting any support from blacks, and others of conscience in the country. Buttigieg is not too young. He is qualified except for this. He should withdraw now. He should announce his intention to make a public statement and his first words should be, “I am disbanding my campaign and as of this moment I am not a candidate for the presidency of the United States.”

    He could then dedicate his next years as mayor to addressing all the issues that separate him from the black community. If he succeeds excellently, the blacks, and others of color and conscience in his community, could support him for President. They could make him the formidable charismatic candidate the Democratic Party and the country desperately needs.

    That is, unless they come to love him so much that they want to keep him in South Bend.

  • 10 Minutes From War!

    Let’s say the only thing true about the pullback from attacking Iran was that the decision was made and transmitted 10 minutes before it was too late.

    We returned from Florida yesterday:

    At long last we are home safe and sound. The flight was fine, but it was supposed to leave at 1:30; delayed to 2:30; delayed to 4:05; and then they couldn’t extend the bridge so the incoming passengers couldn’t get off; and then after a comfortable flight we were held in a holding pattern; and then after taxiing we were informed that another plane was at our gate and we had to wait for it to clear. Took a cab. That went well. Home around 9:15.