This week's comments: sparkling "gems;" more booming; rainbows; descriptors; the alternatives

Early morning gems. On one early morning, sunlit walk to the car this week, the previous night's snowfall sparkled like thousands of diamonds. It had been a frigid night, the snow was light, fluffy and crunched underfoot.

Ski Patrol dynamite. Here in Breckenridge and at many other ski areas, the "men in red parkas," the Ski Patrol, are hurriedly ordering more explosives. It has been years since there was so much potentially unstable snow to "knock down," sometimes daily. Locals and knowing ski hounds appreciate the "booms" from above; guests not so much, at least initially.

"Somewhere over the rainbow..." We have all seen, marveled and wondered at their ephemeral beauty. Whether after or during a rain shower, they are ethereal, magical "things." In Hawaii, I have been lucky enough to have seen a magical arch appear in a cloudless and, seemingly, rain-free sky. Regrettably, there was no rainbow over the Capitol at noon on January 20th, but one hopes for the best.

Will he? Is he?  As we begin the Trump presidency, will he surprise everyone with a new found level of self-interested humility?  (E.J. Dionne) "[T]rust over cynicism...community over chaos.” (George W. Bush) Considered judgements? Openness to criticism or differing viewpoints at home and abroad?   
     Hope springs eternal. We will have to become accustomed to a new visage. Sadly, the man rarely truly smiles, rather, he scowls, he smirks. Not terribly loving. The Inaugural Address was not sweeping nor uplifting; it was a re-hash of his many campaign tirades about the ills he sees in America. At least it was not in the style of his previous mono-syllabic, half-thoughts, replete with
     The beginning is the most important part of the work.” - Plato, The Republic.

The Alternatives. In Politico, Edward-Isaac Dovere surveys the decimated Democratic party and finds no real plans for the future, nor any promising young standard bearers. Commenting on the party in the immediate post-election analysis, Colorado (Democratic) Governor John Hickenlooper, said,  “The patient was clearly already sick.” Dovere's final comment on the most frequently mentioned personalities, "...all of them old, old, old."
     Democrats are stuck in the minority in Congress with no end in sight, have only 16 governors left and face 32 state legislatures fully under GOP control. Their top leaders in the House are all over 70. Their top leaders in the Senate are all over 60. Under Obama, Democrats have lost 1,034 seats at the state and federal level—there’s no bench, no bench for a bench, virtually no one able to speak for the party as a whole. (emphasis added)  Who is to step into the breech? A sign of a dying party?
     Perhaps the only comforting thought: If Donald Trump were to run for a second term, he, too, would be very old, though, from the Republican perspective, their party at least has some "fresh, young" faces. How electable might they be after four years of President Trump is another matter. Who knows?
     The contrast between Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is strikingly stark, aptly illustrating the difference between the the "old guard" and the future. Interviewed by Charlie Rose, Ryan evidenced no desire, no fire-in-the-belly for the presidency.

Thank you for reading. Have a good week.

This week's comments: in Denver, a noted historical passing; in Hong Kong, a WW II icon passed; a western Chinook; health care; beyond cyber security; reading, nonfiction; finally, the Bush twins to the Obama daughters.

Buffalo Bill Cody. This frontier legend passed away peacefully at the home of his sister in downtown Denver on January 10, 1917, drawing a final curtain on a never-to-be repeated era in American history. Of course, then came the controversy: where to bury the legend? Denver or his name-sake city, Cody, Wyoming. On a clear day, the view from Cody's tomb atop Lookout Mountain is spectacular. Here is the Wikipedia link to Bill's burial controversy.

Claire Hollingsworth. Ms. Hollingsworth, who passed away in Hong Kong, was 105 years old. On 28 August 1939, it was her phone call to Britain's Daily Telegraph from the Polish - German border that alerted the world to the German forces massed on the border.  On 1 September 1939, German forces attacked Poland and WW II in Europe began. It was often said the Hollingsworth could claim to have had the "news scoop" of the 20th century.

Chinook. AKA "snow eating" wind, from Native Americans. Strong winds from the west are heated as they flow down-slope, raising the temperature and melting some/all of the snow on the ground. Last week my roof and solar panels were cleared in 4-5 hours and, because the Chinook winds were  so very dry, there was no runoff in the roof downspouts or gutters.

Health care. In a recent opinion piece, Danielle Allen notes that even a majority of Republicans are among those who believe that the Declaration of Independence's open ended list of unalienable rights ("...among these are....") includes affordable health care (AHC). The devil, of course, is in the details. In one off-the-cuff statement at his first press conference, President-Elect Trump took the drug industry to task for unreasonable pricing -- big pharma's stock prices took an immediate hit.
     In the USAF, there was a "remove and replace" system for more major air frame components. The "replacement" was always a new or improved item. Congress, now led by the Republican party, does not seem to have yet crafted a replacement AHC system.

GPS. Looking for that new, favorably-reviewed restaurant? Dana Goward, head of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, notes that the US does not have a reliable alternative, that our GPS is our “single point of failure for critical infrastructure.” While Russia, China, even Iran have developed "terrestrial systems to back up their GPS and similar satellite systems," we have not.

Reading, nonfiction. Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks. A final note, I finished Mark Woods' story of traveling to some well remembered and totally new NPS sites. His last two chapters poignantly relate December's year-ending trip to experience a last sunrise and sunset to Haleakalā, a dormant volcano in Maui, Hawaii, 10,600 feet above sea level, one of the quietest places he visited. He had begun with a sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Maine and ended over a continent and 3,000 + miles of ocean to the west.

Sage advice to Sasha and Malia. In this world where advice swirls in the social media, often savagely, it is heartening to read the letter written by President George Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbra, to President Obama's young daughters. A letter that could only have been written by one set of "First Children" to another. Well worth reading. In part, Jenna and Barbara, looking Sasha and Malia's future, said,

Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes—you are allowed to. Continue to surround yourself with loyal friends who know you, adore you and will fiercely protect you. Those who judge you don’t love you, and their voices shouldn’t hold weight. Rather, it’s your own hearts that matter.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy inauguration week.

Here are this week's topics: racism in France; rules changes; best photos of 2016; looking back in the future; hacked -- or not?; a free "Donald toke;" you go girl!; ACA, aka Obamacare; North Korea;
China's Big Brother; the last "wild American Indian;" Common Sense; a needed break.

French racism. We often think only we Americans are dealing with racism born of our past. In this London Review of Books article, "Racism, pure and simple" Musab Younis talks about French anti-muslim racism, born in the French colonial experience in Algeria. We are not alone in dealing with a not too tidy past.

US House rules. In last week's blog I mentioned that Republican House members had changed the rules (even changed the name) for their ethics investigative office and procedures. However, as noted quickly noted by most major news outlets, these new rules were hastily withdrawn after just one angry tweet from President-elect Trump and many phone calls from angry voters. A capitol hill telephone operator told PBS correspondent, Lisa Desjardins, that it was "was a mess."
     It will be interesting to watch how the Republican-controlled 115th Congress handles the upcoming legislative session. Unintended consequences may include conflicts between a get-even desire on the part of House members viz-a-viz the White House if/when questions arise regarding soon-to-be President Trump's tangled personal financial matters. This is also true: "Now, their party’s leader wields a Twitter account with 18.5 million followers. As he prepares to enter the Oval Office in little more than two weeks, Trump is far more popular in their districts than they are." The latter point is an especially telling truth, one not yet acknowledged by the 535 elected officials on Capitol Hill.

2016 through the lens. This link to Washington Post's "World" column and its selection of the best photos from 2016.

A past era in America. This comment comes from a fellow blogger, one of his reflections while visiting a southern plantation, once part of our bygone Cotton Kingdom, now a tourist site. "Remains of a past attempt to make a meaningful life through extravagance and affluence." In  another 150 years, what thoughts will come to mind as a tourist wanders through a then bygone site in America circa 2016? What site might he/she be visiting? A Trump Tower in.........

Russian hacking. President-elect Trump says "maybe not;" the soon-to-be-his intelligence community say "Yes." The P-e got his briefing, but he also found out that the intelligence community is legally required to respond to congressional requests for testimony. In today's uncertain world and in the intell community's own self-interest, the various directors are not likely to withhold what they believe is the true story. In the end, everyone from the President to the lowest federal peon works for the people. Mess up and you may pay a high price, especially if there is another 9-11 incident. He may not have yet seen Harry Truman's desk-top admonition: "The Buck Stops Here."

A free "toke." Unintended consequence: D.C. voters approved recreational marijuana and so DCMJ advocates will be attending the Trump inauguration and passing out free joints. They will, of course, be careful to do this only on District of Columbia "land," not on federal land where MJ is still illegal. On inauguration morning, some participants may be exclaiming, to paraphrase, Lt. Col. Kilgore from Apocalypse Now, "I love the smell of MJ in the morning!"

Women's lib news from the past. 1925: Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America’s first female governor, succeeding her late husband, William, following a special election. NOTE: The Constitution leaves it to each state how to select its statewide offices, even their US senator; a special election is required only to fill a vacancy in the US House.
     Interesting trivia: One of the Coloradans whose statue is in the national capitol's Statuary Hall is of Jack Swigert, NASA astronaut who was elected in November 1981 to fill CO's newly created 6th House district. Alas, Mr. Swigert died on 27 December 1981 and a special election was held to fill the vacancy.

Health Care. Trivia: Unbelievably, US health care amounts to 18% of our economy, larger than all but four other national economies.

North Korea. Perhaps Kim Jong Un is not quite so politically naive as we have assumed. This article from the Guardian intimates that Un's military and scientific branches may be preparing for new missile tests, taking advantage of the uncertainty accompanying the change in US administrations and the impeachment of South Korea's president.

China's Big Brother. This story from Shanghai where the dystonia Big Brother is fast at work. One can only wonder if Orwell is not saying, "I warned you."

Ishi, a Yahi of California. This High Country News article details the later life and death of Ishi, who became known as America's last "wild" Indian.

Common Sense. On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his bombshell pamphlet, "Common Sense." Paine was, of course, arguing against continued British rule of its North American colonies. Today, America may be dire need of a 21st century Paine to examine and diagnosis our current problems.

Take a break from the upcoming whirlwind round of Senate confirmation hearings and enjoy your favorite movie starring the "much overrated" Meryl Streep! Sunday's Golden Globe program made one thing abundantly certain: In 2020, Mr. Trump has little chance of morphing into a thoughtful entertainment critic. 

Thank you for reading.

This week's topics include: Hungarian populism; the still-collapsing USSR; new role norms; a too large religious push; the new 115th Congress; the biggest stories of 2016 and health news.

Hungary, 2017. In 1968, as a student at San Diego State University, I heard the Czechoslovakian ambassador to the US, tearfully tell my afternoon class of graduate students that, like Hungary in 1956, his country had just been invaded by the USSR and that he would not be returning to his homeland, he had asked for political asylum. In that same, sad summer noted author James Michener wrote the non-fiction Bridge at Andau, a compilation of the thoughts/recollections of Czech refugees fleeing across the bridge and through adjacent swamp-land into Austria.     In this linked op-ed, "Miklos Haraszti... a Hungarian author and director of research on human rights at the Center for European Neighborhood Studies of Central European University" writes about Hungarian populism run amok. He writes, "Hungary, my country, has in the past half-decade morphed from an exemplary post-Cold War democracy into a populist autocracy. Here are a few eerie parallels that have made it easy for Hungarians to put Donald Trump on their political map..."
     Granted, recent Hungarian democracy only began in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, while ours began more than 200 years ago. The Hungarian Prime Minister has labeled his rule, "illiberal democracy," as he modeled Russia and Turkey. Nonetheless, a thought provoking article.

1991, The slow, continuing death of the USSR begins. This Foreign Policy article examines not only the quick collapse, but the much slower, tortured reformation of the USSR and its former Asiatic republics. 

Here are the unlearned lessons from the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union is still collapsing. – Serhii Plokhy
Abandonment has consequences. – Bill Browder
Ideology should not guide foreign policy. – Dmitri Trenin
Russia can’t lead through imperialism. – Nargis Kassenova
Globalization only enriched and empowered autocrats. – Alexander Cooley
Moscow is still sacrificing innovation for state security. – Andrei Soldatov

Old traditions, new roles. Traditionally, presidents-elect have waited quietly in the wings until they have taken the oath of office and, similarly, past presidents have been loath to criticize their successors. It appears there is a whole new ball game. The "tweeter-elect" is not waiting (his tweets related to Israel and the UN)  and, apparently, neither is President Obama (his remarks at the USS Arizona memorial ceremony).
     The view from the left. In his New Republic piece, Mr. Vyse says, "No one begrudges Obama some R&R after eight taxing years...[but until] the opposition [Democratic party] finds a new, dynamic leader, it should be able to count on the great one it’s already got."
     Personally, I am most fearful of the president-elect's tenancy towards spontaneous, off-the cuff- "diplomacy-by-tweet." I fear Mr. Trump is not destined to be remembered as a diplomatic chess player, no Metternich or Churchill or Kissinger. Impromptu Tweeter Extraordinaire, most certainly.

Christianity and women's roles. In this piece, former president Jimmy Carter explains why he is severing his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, surely an unsettling decision for the deeply religious gentleman from Georgia. The Convention had taken a step too far.
     He wrote, that his   decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service....This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries.

Dave Berry, 2016 in review. I am certain that, as always, some will find parts of Berry's yearly review unsettling, but others will bring a smile and acknowledging head-nod.

The 115th Congress. January 3: the newly elected/re-elected members of the US House and Senate took the oath of office. When the past 114th Congress arrived on Jan 3, 2014, the self-professed goal of congressional Republicans was, in the words of Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell (R, KY), to block "everything Obama." Hardly a propitious beginning and, indeed, this seemed to be the continuing Republican goal, as they awaited the election in November 2016.
     Now the professed goals for the 115th are "dismantle, reform and/or replace" as many of President Obama's directives/programs as possible. As Monday's PBS commentators noted, there is much agreement on dismantle, but varying levels of confusion on reform/dismantle. Then, too, much the Senate's time later in January and February will be given over to confirmation hearings on then-President Trump's  cabinet nominees.
     The opening days/weeks of a new congress are always eventful, 2017 promises to be even more so. In fact, the first controversial dust-up occurred on Monday, Jan 1, when the yet-unsworn Republican members of the House gathered behind closed doors and voted to revamp (even re-name) their own oversight system.

Some of  2016's biggest stories. Summations from several publications.

High Country News: (A western US publication) 1. A Sagebrush Rebellion reignited with the occupation at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. 2. The “orange sludge” spill into the Animas River attracted national attention after gold mining tailings spilled in southwestern Colorado...3. Donald Trump’s surprise win for president...4. Protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline ...at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.  5. A High Country News investigation uncovered a decades-long problem of sexual harassment and gender discrimination within the National Park Service and among women firefighters in the Forest Service.

Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post. A long list of good news on the health front.

Healthy food news. Those who follow and/or seek to tailor consumer grocery shopping habits have noted changes toward more healthy choices. This article makes clear it remains a complicated task to predict and track eating habits. "Food purchases are less driven these days by what’s written on the front of the box than what’s listed as ingredients, said Andrew Mandzy, director of strategic insights at Nielsen [ratings]."

Yours truly has three prominent resolutions for 2017: spend more money in my supermarket's produce and fruit isles, religiously avoid products with high fructose corn syrup, and read less political news.

Thank you for reading. May your new year begin smoothly!  :-)))