Here are this week's topics/links: Scalia's choice; the new China; Sweden and Syrian immigrants; "Who are we?;" free wi-fi and political parties; Electoral College math; the point of no return?; unusual winter skiing conditions; questions for the voter on November 8th; 

SCOTUS, What Scalia said. In his NY Times article, Adam Liptak notes that now deceased Justice Scalia did have some thoughts about the court's current composition which he "voiced" in his dissent in the recent same sex marriage case, Obergefell, et. al. v Hodges, et. al. His comments about he and his colleagues are surprising and worth noting.

China, 2016. Once upon a time the Pacific was considered the "US Pond," safely under the control of the US 7th Fleet and nuclear submarines. That was then; this story from Foreign Policy is about the present, when it is a very different ball game.

Sweden and immigration. "The Death of the Most Generous Nation on Earth" (Foreign Policy, James Traub, February 10) is the story of Sweden's evolving response to the seemingly unending streams fleeing the Syrian violence.  In fact, the modern history of Sweden's acceptance of refugees is lengthy, including its ready acceptance before WW II of many of Denmark's otherwise doomed Jews.
     Sweden did not need to sign treaties — though it did, of course — to demonstrate its commitment to refugees. Par Frohnert, coeditor of a book on Swedish refugee policy whose English translation is titled Reaching a State of Hope, says that while Sweden jealously guarded its ethnic homogeneity through the 1930s, in 1942 the country began admitting Norwegians fleeing the Nazis. Then came Estonians and other Balts, and then Danish Jews. As Sweden began to build its social democratic state after the war, the ready acceptance of refugees became a symbol of the national commitment to moral principle

"Who are we?" In his NYT opinion piece, Thomas Friedman asks the question and continues,


If I were given a blank sheet of paper and told to write down America’s three greatest sources of strength, they would be “a culture of entrepreneurship,” “an ethic of pluralism” and the “quality of our governing institutions....What we have in America is so amazing — a pluralistic society with pluralism. Syria and Iraq are pluralistic societies without pluralism. They can only be governed by an iron fist....Just to remind again: We have twice elected a black man whose grandfather was a Muslim and who defeated a woman to run against a Mormon! Who does that? That is such a source of strength, such a magnet for the best talent in the world....America didn’t become the richest country in the world by practicing socialism [Sanders], or the strongest country by denigrating its governing institutions [Cruz], or the most talent-filled country by stoking fear of immigrants [Trump]. It got here via the motto “E Pluribus Unum” — Out of Many, One. (candidates' names added)

It is unfortunate that so many Americans do not share this point of view. Candidate Trump and many of his followers exclaim that we have to make America great -- again --  by expelling people living here peacefully or wanting to seek shelter here. I seem to remember a phrase very much connected with America's uniqueness, "a city on a hill" (Matthew 5:14 and Puritan John Winthrop's 1630 sermon "A Model of Christian Charity")
     Conservative columnist, Michael Gerson, "Donald Trump and the politics of the middle finger," notes that following Trump "...assumes that practices we know are wrong in our private lives — contempt, mockery, cruelty, prejudice — are somehow justified in our political lives. It requires us to embrace views and tactics that we would never teach our children...Our circumstance is sometimes compared to William F. Buckley Jr.’s public shunning of the John Birch Society — the extreme conservatives of their day."

Free wi-fi and political parties. Jill Lapore wonders "Is the new populism about the message or the medium?" She notes,  "[T]his may be the first Presidential-primary season with free Wi-Fi pretty much everywhere. The party system, like just about every other old-line industry and institution, is struggling to survive a communications revolution. Accelerated political communication can have all manner of good effects for democracy, spreading news about rallies, for instance, or getting hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition lickety-split. Less often noticed are the ill effects, which include the atomizing of the electorate."
     The article also notes earlier advances in communications technology that impacted the social/political process: printing press (Martin Luther), Andrew Jackson's campaign biography (1832), better printing technology (1833), telegraph (1840s), illustrated newspapers (1850s), direct campaigning, telephone and linotype (1880s), election polling (1932), etc. At each juncture the elites were put at risk of losing control.
     So much so, that 2016 might be deemed (to date at least) the ultimate anti-elite/establishment contest for the leaders of both political parties.

Electoral College math. Prior to the NV caucuses (Saturday, Feb 20), Hillary Clinton said both she and Senator Sanders had each "won one" (IA and NH, respectively), so there are 48 to go. Wrong! She forgot the District of Columbia, which has a voice: 3 electoral votes (23rd Amendment), though no actual voting representatives or senators. Then there the American territories, which have no electoral clout, but still voice their 'druthers.
     Electoral College votes are are won winner-take-all in 46 states and the District of Columbia, while votes in Maine (4) and Nebraska (5) are awarded proportionally.
     "In the current Electoral College battlefield, 40 of 50 states have voted for the same candidate in all four elections since 2000." The link notes additional electoral oddities.

Tipping point? If you worry about the future, see this story from The American Thinker.

An unusual winter, to say the least. Even though it is mid-February, moving back and forth between Denver and Breckenridge has seemed like moving between spring and late winter. For most of February, temperatures in the city have only rarely been below 40 during the day and have pushed towards 70 more than once. It has been unseasonably warm in Breckenridge, though there has been enough intermittent snow and cold nighttime temperatures that the snow is ski-able. On several days the high winds have closed some of the ski lifts, produced grass fires in/around the city, and partially torn apart the massive IKEA sign along I-25, just west of Centennial Airport.

Presidential considerations. As you ponder your choices for the 45th President on November 8th, consider:

1. Whose finger do you want on the US nuclear button?
2.  Whom do you want sitting across the negotiating table from Vladimir Putin or his likes? 
3. Whom do you want handling with a sudden, unexpected crisis involving an unstable and nuclear-armed Pakistan or North Korea?
   
4. Who do you want dealing with the next (115th) Congress, one controlled by either party?

Thank you for reading and now it's on to Super Tuesday #1 and #2, March 1st & 8th.

Here are this week's topics: gravity & other "deep" news; American exceptionalism; SCOTUS change;

Gravity, Einstein, & the new machine. This from the article, "A brief history of gravity, gravitational waves and LIGO": apparently there is yet again evidence that Einstein's math was correct. As one involved scientist put it, "Einstein must be smiling," even though he was not absolute convinced that his General Theory of Relatively was correct on this point. After lengthy peer review, it has now been duly reported that LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) "observed" two colliding black holes, 1+ billion light years distant. The collision did indeed produce "gravity waves." For the interested layman readers, there are other links throughout this linked article. It also offered the possibility that LIGO would offer new insights into other intergalactic events.

Exceptional? Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria notes that, "Yes, America is being changed — but by whom?" Across the board American politicians and radio/TV talk show figures alike speak of, but never define/explain, America's "exceptionalism," just what does that term mean? They "...routinely assert that Obama’s policies are intentionally designed to transform the United States and dull its distinctive edge..[and] were Obama’s policies to be continued...America would become just another country." Is there not perhaps a wee bit of xenophobia in our self-professed exceptionalism?

A very notable passing. News of the unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has added an entirely new dimension and discussion point to the presidential contest. Will this be the last of President Obama's appointments or will he leave it for his successor? Either way, the vacancy is likely to consume political Washington. At their latest debate last Saturday, the Republican candidates all agreed on this one point: leave the appointment to the winner in November 2016. For moi, the vacancy offers the awful prospect of The Donald being "the decider" and choosing the name to send to the Senate for confirmation.

The stakes are just got higher! Should President Obama appoint a replacement? Should the Senate consider that appointment? The nation and the world awaits the outcome of this titanic turn of events. November 8, 2016, just got more important; the battle is joined! Within hours of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the Senate should not confirm anyone whom President Barack Obama nominates to fill the vacant seat, but wait until a new president is elected. McConnell’s comment put in bold relief the huge stakes, not just of the presidential election, but of who controls the Senate.

On to the Super Tuesday. IA and NH are now in the books. Two former AF colleagues, now living in North and South Carolina, note the beginning of the "silly season" for Carolinians, their time to be inundated by politicians, countless robo-phone calls, and endless inane TV/radio ads. The drama and politics surrounding Justice Scalia's passing will only heighten the clamor.

Reading, non-fiction. The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters, Karl Rove, Simon & Schuster, 2015. Slow reading, but Rove's telling brings interesting parallels to our current situation.

Thank you for reading.

Here are the topics for this week: IA, NH & beyond; revolution?; Super Bowl 50 inanity?; Flint, MI; Super Bowl Sunday.

IA, NH and beyond. At this week's reading, Iowa is in the rear view mirror and with New Hampshire voters going to the polls this very day. Sadly, for the entire nation, it hardly needs saying that the legislative and executive branches will be largely focused, not on the nation's immediate, pressing problems, but on November 8, 2016. If you want, work for your chosen candidate(s); the prognostications will be largely conjectures, probably less certain that your area's weather reports.
     More than a few said, Trump would react badly if he finished second in IA and, sure enough, in short order there was a flurry of tweets about irregularities with the Cruz campaign in IA. Everything from individual caucus results to calling for a complete "Iowa do-over." And the world watched these antics, undoubtedly wondering about an America led by The Donald.
     On the Democratic side, the field was narrowed to two: an avowed social democrat and a candidate who decries the influence of Wall Street while continuing to rake in millions from banks and investment firms. "In all, donors from Wall Street and other financial-services firms have given $44.1 million to support Hillary Clinton’s campaigns and allied super PACs."

Revolution and the Establishment? Here in the America this most unlikely word seems suddenly in vogue among the presidential candidates. Senator Sanders uses it repeatedly and openly, the others less-so, preferring code words and phrases. In a recent column, David Ignatius notes how these the emerging themes of alienation, disruption and resilience will resonate, here and abroad, and how they will shape the ongoing discussion. Columnist Mark Theissen opines that the only loser in IA was the Democratic and Republican political establishments. "In the wake of Iowa, the “establishment lane” in the Republican race is effectively closed." On the other side of the isle, Hillary "effectively tied with a 74-year-old disheveled socialist from Vermont. Not a good sign."
     Columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote a column, "The Establishment Nonsense," in which he said, "If by establishment you mean the careerists, the lobbyists and the sold-out cynics, a good poke, even a major purge, is well-deserved." Of the Republican candidates, Krauthammer said this about Trump: "[He] has no coherent political philosophy, no core beliefs, at all. Trump offers barstool eruptions and whatever contradictory “idea” pops into his head at the time, such as “humane” mass deportation, followed by mass amnesty when the immigrants are returned to the United States...No one takes them seriously. His actual platform is all persona." Blustery persona will not get you far with a steely eyed, deadly, cold-blooded leader the likes of Vladimir Putin, for example. Or one who seems to inhabit a parallel universe, Kim Jong Un, for example. Or the leaders (?) of a fragile, badly fractured state, Pakistan, for example.

Much ado about nothing. The Bard would surely have enjoyed the week's sports inanities. All across the nation, networks and local news outlets dispatched their "best and brightest" (?) to cover Super Bowl 50. The Mile High City was, of course, all atwitter. Not surprisingly, low gas prices, buttressed with talk of summer road travel, were a probable cause for Denver's Channel 4's dispatching a crew on a road trip to Levi Stadium.

Bad Water. Government incompetence, total disregard for horrible human consequences? I am not sure a worse, more frightening scenario could be envisioned  than what has unfolded in Flint, MI. To save a relatively few bucks and then ignore the reported results? Unbelievable!

Super Bowl L (50). George Will, Washington Post political (occasionally sports) columnist, titled his column, "Super Bowl Sunday: The day America celebrates football — and brain damage." The column dovetailed nicely with the lead story in the weekend's NY Times Magazine, "Roger Goddell's Unstoppable Football Machine." Will wrote, "It would be nice, but probably fanciful, to think that even 1 percent of the expected television audience of more than 110 million will have qualms about the ethics of their enjoyment." He is probably correct.
     The Mile High City is, as a Swedish friend says, "all over itself," having won #50.

Thank you for reading and now it's on to the less than sparkling Denver Avalanche and Nuggets.

Here are the topics for this Ground Hog Day week: American justice; taxing America; cyber surveillance;  Holocaust memories; Are you from here?; the planet's fate; campaign delusions; that shadowy rodent.

White collar crime vs. the rest of us. You are, no doubt, familiar with the old saw, "to the fullest extent of the law." In The Intercept, David Dayen writes about Senator Elizabeth Warren (D, MA) has written a report highly critical of how the US justice system does NOT prosecute white collar crime. What happens to the blue collar suspect, the white collar suspect? The senator promises a yearly report, much like the late Senator William Proxmire (D, WI) who issued his monthly "Golden Fleece" award for frivolous government spending.
[Warren's report is] a thorough indictment of a rigged system in Washington that allows corporate criminals to go free while those without the same power and influence get severely punished. The report — a 12-page booklet titled “Rigged Justice: How Weak Enforcement Lets Corporate Offenders Off Easy” — cites 20 well-documented civil and criminal cases from 2015 “in which the federal government failed to require meaningful accountability.... [T]he real issue, as Warren sees it, comes in installing the personnel to carry out the laws on the books that protect public safety and the economy.The report is the first in a promised annual series from Sen. Warren, where she will highlight the most egregious cases of unprosecuted corporate crime from the previous year.

Paying taxes in the US. Read George Will's Saturday column for a short primer about taxation in the US. I thought his likening Congress to a Calder mobile was particularly apt: "Something jiggled here causes things to wiggle over there." Will also notes (and warns) that "If there is going to be growth-igniting tax reform — and if there isn’t, American politics will sink deeper into distributional strife — Brady [chairman of the House Ways and Means committee] will begin it." Alas, how many Americans taxpayers would think a tax increase notice meant that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the government was just paying more attention to her/him?

Surveillance, Chinese style.  If you hear a unexpected click on your phone line, consider this article by Peter Fuhrman, chairman and CEO of China First Capital (Shenzen, China), about his experiences with Chinese telephone surveillance. His perceptions and those of his Chinese associates illustrate an important cultural difference in our interconnected cyber world. We Americans tend to be outraged and suspicious; the Chinese much less so.

The Holocaust remembered. In last Saturday's column Washington Post's Colbert King noted two firsts in the US regarding this year's Holocaust Remberance, two Americans joined the ranks inducted into the ranks of some 26,000 Righteous Among the Nations hailed by Israel in gratitude for their courage and compassion.
     Until then, no Israeli ceremony honoring non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust had ever been held in the United States. This year, four honorees — two Americans and two Poles — were posthumously inducted into the ranks of some 26,000 Righteous Among the Nations hailed by Israel in gratitude for their courage and compassion....The other first occurred when Barack Obama showed up for the ceremony. Until then, no sitting U.S. president had spoken at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. 

Our not so public universities. According to a recent story, most every state's flagship public university is more likely "growing" money by admitting an increasing percentage of out-of-state/foreign students.  For example: "In 2004, 72 percent of new freshmen [cheering for the national champion football team] here were Alabamians. By 2014, the share was 36 percent." Texas A&M leads the nation with the highest percentage of actual Texans in the student body. Nationwide, declining state funding undoubtedly plays a major role.

Climate change. In his Monday NY Times op-ed, "Wind, Sun, and Fire," Nobel Prize-winning economist, Paul Krugman, begins with this blunt, sobering assessment: "So what’s really at stake in this year’s election? Well, among other things, the fate of the planet." Even after 2015 having been declared the "hottest year on record" by NOAA, NASA, and other agencies, there is little promising news on the horizon. None of the candidates in Tuesday's IA primaries made this an important issue, nor are they likely to change their tune on down the road.

Delusions, right and left. Stephen Stromberg wrote of the "Three delusions driving the Cruz and Sanders campaigns. (1) We will transform the country, uniting it behind an expansive agenda that will move the nation’s politics sharply away from center. The country must see that it agrees with us and has all along. (2) The nation is primed for a revolution because things are terrible. (3) The country is in its current state because of the corrupt or otherwise illegitimate actions of others.

Ground Hog Day.  May you be at peace with Punxsutawney Phil's prognostication. I had one young English professor at Penn State for whom Punxsutawney, PA, was the "end of the earth," far worse than Pittsburgh, home of those hated football rivals, the Pitt Panthers! I cannot help but wonder, did he lived long enough to see Bill Murry's movie, Ground Hog Day? Filmed, by the way, in Woodstock, IL, which has installed a memorial plaque in the sidewalk at the site of that damnable pothole. (Take heart: statistically Phil is only correct a mere 39% of the time.)
     Here in Denver, Phil saw no shadow. It was snowing! Dubious news for CO ski areas.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy whatever is coming your way for the next six weeks.