Here are the topics for this week's blog: happy birthday; voting rights; issue ads; immigration; The Donald, a loser?; oil bust; an unusual, political contagion; the fear factor; fall evenings

August 25th. The day to remember my mother -- and a happy birthday to all others who share the date!

Voting Rights, 50 years on. One of the cornerstones of democracy is the right to vote.  In a column this past week, E.J. Dionne notes that, though the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was meant to guarantee the vote to all eligible American citizens, still the battle continues. "The good thing about democracy is that there are no permanent defeats. The hard part is that some victories have to be won over and over." Now the great bogey man is that illusive "fraudulent" voter. Trouble is baying at the moon does not create werewolves and very, very few fraudulent voters have ever been identified, let alone prosecuted. That old Chicago adage "vote early and often" seems to be very largely a misnomer.
     Last week the answer to a Jeopardy question was "Who was Winston Churchill," who famously declared that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

Iran and emissions. I do not know about your area, but here in Denver we are seeing, not only TV "candidate ads," but also issue ads (largely against) on both the Iranian agreement and proposed industrial emissions regulations. This quick use of paid advertising seems a new tactic by both sides.
     Re Iran and the bomb. Seventy years ago, the US let loose the atomic genie and is the only nation to have actually used that horrible genie against other humans. Ever since there has been a growing list of nations that have the bomb, some with, some without our assistance. Russia, Britain, France, Israel (undeclared), China, India, Pakistan, North Korea. One might be inclined to think some of these nations are "scarier" than others, but it not mere possession by any nation a scary proposition.

The Newcomers. Being ever the heretic, should we now examine our immigration and citizenship processes? Bob Dylan reminded us that "the times they are a-changin' ". Over the years waves of immigration have changed, too, as has our society's perceived need for these new comers. It is a familiar story: from the mid-1800s, America's immigrants dug canals, built railroads and highways, pushed the nation westward. Indeed, these newcomers powered Manifest Destiny and pushed America to its international prominence. 
     The constitution evolved, too, as slavery was formally ended and citizenship further defined in the 14thAmendment to include those "born or naturalized" in America. This definition was largely accepted and, until very recently, had not been much questioned. It should be noted, however, that these earlier immigrants mostly came from abroad, through our Atlantic and Pacific coast ports.
     Back then, massive numbers of Canadians were not streaming southward. Now, however, the world's economic and political picture has changed and there are millions of Latin Americans streaming northward. This is one of the driving forces behind today's debate. See this link in the Huffington Post for a discussion on the legal issues surrounding this one section of the 14th Amendment.

The Donald, a loser? A blogger at The Daily Beast thinks it highly unlikely that Trump will put himself on a ballot and risk losing to "lesser" candidates, many of whom he has already derided as "losers." To put the question another way, would a bloviating megalomaniac risk suddenly looking silly and second rate? Hope springs eternal.

Oil prices. From Washington Post columnist, Fareed Zakaria, "While we have been watching the Islamic State and discussing Iran, something much bigger is happening in the world. We are witnessing a historic fall in the price of oil, down more than 50 percent in less than a year. When a similar drop happened in the 1980s, the Soviet Union collapsed. What will it mean now?" Indeed. While frackers in the US were thriving, they and some OPEC members (even the Saudis) are feeling the hurt. Unstable nations in our own backyard (e.g. Mexico and Venezuela) are facing new pressures from their growing populations. Things are not at all good.
     The Saudis “know it hurts them but they hope it will hurt everyone else more,” says [Leonardo] Maugeri [of Italy's Eni corporation], now at Harvard. "One of Saudi Arabia’s main aims is to put U.S. producers of shale and tight oil out of business. So far, it has not worked."
     Consider these economic facts, how much some national economies depend on oil: Venezuela, 96%; Russia, at least 50%; Iraq, 95%; Iran, ?, but increasing if sanctions are lifted.

"Recovering" Governors. They are a rare breed, with only 10 in the US Senate and just one in the US House. They are former state governors, who have been elected to national office. "Democratic Sen. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware put it this way on the Senate floor in December: 'We’re sort of a support group for one another — men and women who used to be somebody and be special.' ” Kermit said, "It's not easy being green" and, apparently, the same hold true for former state chief executives.
     John Kashich, former OH governor, is slowly inching up among the plethora of Republican presidential candidates, in part by touting his past executive experience. Two former governors (Crist, [D, FL] and Culver [R, IA]) are presently considering running for US House seats in their respective states. History tells us that only one ex-president was ever elected to the US House -- John Quincy Adams, (MA), who served there until his death.
     Is it possible that running for / holding elective office is contagious, much like the measles?

A pleasant, if passing, touch of fall. Last week the night-time temperatures in the Queen City of the West have dropped into the low 50s. Crickets are still singing merrily along, but the tomatoes are not ripening so quickly, though the yellow summer squash continues to be prolific. Fear not, the weather prognosticators predict warmer temperatures are on the way -- just in time for school to begin.

Thank you for reading. Have a peaceful week.