The Importance of Study

 

As one might guess, study and scholarship were a strong suit of mine in school.  I actually enjoyed learning facts.   My favorite subjects other than music were English and History.  I also managed to get enjoyment out of chemistry and math. 

In recent years, interest in facts has not been particularly popular in many circles.  This is changing.  We are finding out that a disdain for facts can lead to trouble, no matter how much bravado one enters into the habit of truth-denying.  It is, after all, easier to deny truth than to have to think about the facts.  And especially if the facts are inconvenient, it is ever so easy to simply change them in one's mind.

But Truth or whatever we might call it, does object.  And inasmuch as truth is an inherent part of the world, people of the world will notice, later if not sooner. 

The difficulties of the current Administration in Washington points this up.  So it can be predicted credibly that Truth will once again come to be valued.  We can only hope this change will come about with as little pain as possible.  


-- TMP  


Photo: Public Domain Pictures

Saturday Inspiration

In the Bleak Midwinter

by

Christina Rosetti

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

   earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

   snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

   in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

   heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign:

   in the bleak midwinter a stable-place sufficed

   the Lord God incarnate, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

   cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

   but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,

   worshiped the beloved with a kiss. 

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

   if I were a wise man, I would do my part;

   yet what I can I give him, give my heart.

 

  

 

How Internet Companies are Ruining Our Democracy

I think people should carefully re-read the first part of the Declaration of Independence.  Because I think sometimes we as a society start to get confused and think that we have a right to happiness.  But if you read the Declaration of Independence, it talks about "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."   Nobody has a right to happiness.   You should have a right to pursue it, and I think the core of that is liberty.   

                  
                                                     -- Jeff Bezos


 This is, in a word, ignorant.   A more complete excerpt, including the complete sentence which contains the phrase quoted above is the following:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

It is clear from this fuller excerpt that the Declaration of Indepence does assert through implication that citizens have a right to happiness.   If there is no such thing as happiness, why guarantee a right to pursue it?  Thus Bezos' claim is illogical, a non sequitur.  This is easy to see from a careful reading.  More important, can anyone claim that people are happy with the system they now have?   

Jonathan Taplin's 2017 book Move Fast and Break Things. How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy, gives a certain history which I have read nowhere else.  It is an important history, a history which is critical to the understanding of why we are where we are now.  

Although clearly there are antecedents to the ascendant dominance of the Internet over culture and its concomittant victory over democracy, Taplin's book usefully describes how the way the Internet has developed has indeed helped to undermine our democracy.   The book is highly recommended for its readability and credibility.

 

How to Thwart Authoritarianism

At this time of electoral victories for Democrats it is wise to remember who  -- and what kind of President -- sits in the Oval Office.  The article shown below was written by a Pole who has faced an increasingly authoritarian regime in his country.  His warnings are most apropos.

Another writer has said it is shocking that only six Democrats have called for the resignation of Trump.  Who knows?  -- perhaps they are thinking of the theocrat Pence ascending to the Presidency and want to prevent that.

But while OML is still in the White House, the American democracy remains under duress.  While I believe the democracy is going to survive, it is going to take work to bring down the plutocrats.   A good question to ask is:  How did such a sycophantic neophyte ever get himself declared "President" in the first place? 


Guide to Thwarting an Authoritarian Regime


N.B.   "OML" stands for Our Military Leader.  This reminds us that a dangerous incompetent still has putative authority over the USA's massively powerful war-making machinery.  

American Pai?

What should we expect from the illicit current administration but a stealth job from its FCC chairman against net neutrality?  The article referenced below helps show why the illegitimate FCC is poised to destroy net neutrality. 

This is un-American.  This is ugly.  This is -- as I say -- illegitimate. 



Far From Humble Pai

Election Hijinx A-Brewin' in Alabama

This is not just conjectural.  Following the link below will take you to a Greg Palast investigative report on nine methods of vote suppression being used by Republicans in Alabama.  And, yes, this the new Republican party of accused -- well -- you know what.  


Is the Fix In -- In Alabama?

Hundreds Support Net Neutrality in New York

Protest in New York

Other locations also see protests


Hundreds of peaceful protestors gathered at a VER-uh-zon* store in New York City to decry plans to end the Internet super highway as we know it.  The article below is from Huffington Post** and informs us that the new head of the FCC is a former counsel for the telecommunications giant.




Protestors Meet Verizon Customers



* this is my preferred pronunciation for Verizon.   Not having television, I never did see the introductory campaign for the latest name of the former New York Bell Telephone.  Looking at this weird word I decided that if it were spelled with two "o's" it would rhyme with the word "horizon."   therefore I decided it must be VER-ih-zon.   The pronunciation stuck.


** The article also admits that VER-uh-zon owns the parent company of Huffington Post.  I did not know that. 


Photo courtesy Huffington Post

Senator Franken Announces Coming Resignation

Sen. Al Franken has announced that in coming weeks he will resign from the U. S. Senate.  This is tragic news for America.  Whatever the circumstances (and there has not been any trial), this is a tremendous loss for the country.   Sen. Franken was a tireless advocate for the average citizen and the underprivileged.  He will be missed.

Music and the Internet: A Challenging Combination

Quick Link --


The book referenced here is largely about the Internet as we know it and its effect on everyday life.  It also reviews the relationship of the World Wide Web to music and other creative human pursuits.

A very taking perspective. 

See more here:
Music and the Internet 
Reference to Amazon.com

Staying Afloat

I continue to stay abreast of the news at a pace which I believe will help me retain my sanity and still keep me informed adequately as a citizen of this great country.  For those reading from abroad I can assure you we in the United Stares are overwhelmingly the same friendly and open people you have always known.  We are not publicly, or even privately, purposely insulting people of other races and religions.

Of course, there is always a minority who have opposite intentions.  And with Our Military Leader (OML) encouraging them sometimes their actions have become emboldened.  This is very concerning and regrettable.

Having said this, news stories relating to OML's administration continue to come fast and furious.  For me, the problem has to do mostly with the lying which has come out of this White House, and -- saliently -- the Oval Office.  The total rush of events, however, does cause one to lose one's balance, if not indeed, one's stomach.  This, it seems to me, is part of the plan.  Such a method has been described by Naomi Klein for one. 

So -- I will endeavor to keep up with things.  Not everything deserves comment.  And some things require so much research the day is over before I can even begin.  For the immediate future I plan to continue writing about what I regard as the most important and/or interesting matters -- things which surprise and delight, as well as things which are critically important.  Under the current trying circumstances it can be difficult to parse the news and write in a way which is complete yet at the same time fits the timely nature of a web log. 

Still I shall do my best, even if quantity suffers.  If it comes to it, better to have quantity suffer, and quality remain high.  

Some Cities Offer More than Tax Abatements to Corporations...

Some seem to be practically giving away the keys to the city itself.


The Seattle Times reports that plans for Amazon's second headquarters is being treated as an opportunity to bargain away democracy itself -- at least to a dangerous extent.  With a company already having done such great damage to brick-and-mortar retailers (such as J. C. Penney), this is not the right way for cities to go.  Read more here:

This City Hall Brought to You by -- Amazon!


Coming Soon:  At least one city is taking an entirely different tack.  

Why Vaccines Are So Important

Answer in three words:  to relieve suffering

 

There are legitimate concerns about vaccines.   However, a resulting autism is not one of them, according to scientists.  And even though many illnesses are treatable with today's medicines, once contracted, certain diseases can cause great suffering and even death.  This is particularly true in parts of the world where access to medical care is distant or expensive.  Vaccines, which can be made available at low cost, can prevent the appearance of dread diseases such as pneumonia before they are ever contracted. 

Yet, the main program supporting low-cost vaccines in these "Third World" countries is considered temporary until such time as a country raises its living standard enough to be able to afford a higher cost.  Yet this cost, lower than that paid in First World countries, can still be prohibitively expensive to an emerging nation.  

As I said last night, much more needs to be done in this area to make needed vaccines available to children around the world. 


Why Vaccines Are Important


Photo courtesy WHO

Update: Vaccines

from Friday --

 Clarification:

What I wrote Friday about vaccine manufacturers was in fact true -- but in the past.  I am still researching this matter.   But in the same issue of National Geographic (November 2017), a public-private partnership has been able to make available to countries such as Bangladesh vaccines for pneumococcal virus at a much-reduced cost.  Thus while the history of the high cost of this particular vaccine remains, currently there has been significant improvement.  I regret any impression left about current conditions.

Of course there continue to be many problems related to the profit motive in medicine, including needless deaths.  We remain in a national and international emergency with ever so much work left to be done. 

The Horror of Our Time; The Regret of the Future

The current issue of The National Geographic magazine is notable for its numerous interesting and useful stories.  Tonight I have been reading about vaccines -- their usefulness and necessity.  So much good has come from vaccines, simply in terms of alleviating suffering. 

Yet, in recent years countries (such as Bangladesh) desperately needing the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (for juvenile pneumococcal virus infections), were unable to afford the price the manufacturers had decided to charge.  That pharmaceutical companies could demand high prices for something which could mean life or death to children is simply a horror.  It will be the great regret of the future.

The Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy

Here is the link to an important website devoted to understanding the legal status of corporations in America, especially as they affect democracy.  I have been aware of the Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy (POCLAD), for over twenty years and have found the group to be very useful in understanding the history of corporations and how they came to have so much power in America.

Most every great nation in history has struggled in some fashion with the powers of accumulated wealth.  America is no different.   POCLAD helps understand the "how."  What America needs most is to understand is the "why."  I have found it is possible to develop a beginning understanding of why corporations have had so much power accrue to them.  While it is difficult to deal in-depth with this here, I am happy to share what I know on an individual basis.  I may be reached through the commenting function below each post. 


http://www.poclad.org/

Voter Suppression Appears to Affect Results: Research

As recently as this week, pundits and columnists such as Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post continue to refer to "the people" electing Donald Trump, or words to that effect. But this simply isn't true.


Research Shows Crosscheck Program Purges Legitimate Voters

Issues I Am Watching Now

Here are issues I am watching and researching now.  In coming days I plan to bring you news and views on these matters:

• The beginning of a wave?  Democratic wins on November 7
• The vast incompetence of the media regarding the general election of 2016
• Surprising Democratic Socialist gains in the off-year elections this month
• The tragedy of mass shootings made simpler

Please visit in coming days to see posts on these important subjects.

Your interest in this blog is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Yours,

T M P  

Republicans Enter Troubled Waters after Off-Year Elections

Late Afternoon Link --

The Republican Party finds itself in deep water after failures in New Jersey and Virginia elections yesterday.  Party operatives are said to be worried about 2018

I'll have more on this subject later. 


Republicans: Major Fail in Virginia

Mueller Alleges Manafort Link to Organized Crime

Quick Link --

Buried deep  inside the Mueller indictment of Paul Manafort is an allegation that Manafort avoided paying taxes on money that was then used to purchase expensive items such a Mercedes-Benz. 

Mueller Indictment Alleges Manafort Link to Russian Organized Crime

Move Fast and Break Things -- New Book Purports to Reveal How to Undermine Democracy through Technology

This book by the director emeritus of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California promises to show how the culture of Silicon Valley and other "Valleys" has significantly effected our democracy and even our way of life and culture.  I am just now starting to peruse this important-looking book.

A few books I am aware of have already been published on this general topic, and there are numerous magazine articles available as well.  It is long past time for a major review of the effects of new social media technologies on both the body politic, and simply the society. 


Move Fast and Break Things -- book review

Commenting on the Mueller Indictments

There is no denying the importance of the Grand Jury indictments of former Trump campaign officials at the behest of Robert Mueller.

But whether it will be proven that Our Military Leader was himself guilty of collusion with the Russians is yet to be seen. 

In the meantime, damage continues to be done to the democracy. 

And yet progress is being made.  Let us hope that Monday's events are a harbinger of more progress ahead. 



Please check back here soon for more.

The Famous Author You've Never Heard Of

Author Donald Bain, ghost writer extraordinaire, has died.   Author of the Murder She Wrote mysteries, and Margaret Truman Daniel's mysteries as well, passed away last Saturday in White Plains, New York.

I confess I never heard of Mr. Bain, either -- until today.  He was obviously an interesting and talented writer, as well as an aspiring musician ( about whose talents in that department I am totally clueless).

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote

In the interest of promoting alternative sources of information, I am linking to an article on another blog.  The blog, entitled "The Passive Voice," is itself interesting and worth a look. 

Happy reading.  


Ghost Writer Dies

Edwin Starr Teaches Us the True Value of Most Wars

...including Viet-nam.

A special re-visit to the 1960's 





(C) All rights reserved to the artist and their production company. Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Could the Market Crash of 1987 Happen Again?

 

Quickly --

Thirty years ago, the stock market crashed.  People were terrified.  Could it happen again?

Today's CNBC commentators weigh in: 


1987 Market Crash: Could It Happen Again?

It Is a Deep and Important Time...

...in America now.  With all that is at stake I am forced to spend extra time researching.  While this research (and my musical life) goes on, I will continue to post here as much as possible.  At the same time, I encourage you to visit my sister blogs as you will find more detailed information in those locations.  (Please see left sidebar.)  

The Profit System is (Literally) Killing Us

The profit system is literally, if indirectly, killing us.  I think I can show that quite quickly. Today's New York Times in an editorial entitled "The Gun Carnage, as Time Goes By," describes what has gone on in the gun industry.  According to the Times, referencing a Harvard and Northeastern Universities study. says that three percent of American adults own half the nation's guns -- an astonishing 17 guns per person!  The newspaper further states that as fewer Americans have bought guns in recent years, the gun makers have marketed more and more guns to fewer individuals.

Just what is going on here?  We know more guns are being sold to fewer individuals.  Perhaps we may wishfully imagine that there is no net increase in guns.  At any rate, a huge number of guns are going into the hands of individuals. Seventeen guns per person?  And we know that being a profit-making industry, gun manufacturers have a motive for selling more guns.  Again, at best we can fantasize that through proper education and training of gun-buyers this might not be a problem.  But it is a problem.  Why?

First, there are in fact persons of evil intent loose in the land.  Second, there are more guns.  This alone is a recipe for disaster.  But the hidden contributor is an economic system which encourages such a situation.  How? -- by never calling gun manufacturers to account.  The charters for the gun-making companies go on forever, even out-lasting the lives of mortal human beings.  Thus does the corporation get the upper hand politically.

This combination of factors explains in essence what is going on.  Of course it doesn't explain the existence of evil.  That I leave for now to the philosophers and theologians.  But any society which allows such a situation to exist can hardly be called civilized.  

Journalist Elucidates the Continuing State of Emergency (But probably not the one you are thinking of)

 Below is an excerpt from an interview with journalist Masha Gessen on the program Democracy Now, recently.  I find Ms. Gessen's views overall excellent, compelling.  My only disagreement is her repeated contention that the American people elected Trump.  This is fallacious, as I have repeatedly reported here for now nearly a year.  It is a critical error -- one which does not make her other arguments incorrect, but rather significantly incomplete.  

Here is the excerpt. 

Gessen:  My argument is basically that our Reichstag fire—and the Reichstag fire, as I’m sure you know, is, in 1934, the Reichstag, the parliament building in Berlin, burned, and Hitler, who had just recently been appointed chancellor, used it as a pretext for restricting political freedoms in really profound ways, in ways that—to create a state of exception, what his favorite legal theorist, Carl Schmitt, called a state of exception, which is when the sovereign claims extraordinary power.

Well, I think that that has all happened in this country, and it happened in the wake of September 11th. The state of emergency that went into effect three days after September 11th has never been lifted. It was renewed by President Obama every September for seven years of his presidency, the seven Septembers that he was president. We continue to be in the state of emergency. The War Powers Act passed with one dissenting vote three days after September 11th, continues to be in effect and has been used by President Obama and now by President Trump. And there’s also been a 16-year run of concentrating—increasing concentration of power in the executive branch—under George W. Bush, basically, in the interest of shoring up more military and surveillance power; under President Obama, for some of the same and some other reasons, having to do with a Congress that was intent on paralyzing him. But basically, I think that chain of events did a lot to create the possibility of Trump, to create the very possibility of a politician who could run for autocrat in this country and get elected.

Civil Rights Groups Sue to Stop Crosscheck Program

 via Election 101 --

Read how groups in Indiana are trying to stop vote suppression in Indiana!

https://electiontruth101.blogspot.com/


Graphic Courtesy The Black Commentator   

The Las Vegas Massacre

I, along with the whole country, am heart-broken over the mass killings in Las Vegas this past week-end.  It is long past time for an honest discussion on weapons in the hands of lone rangers.  We can and must do better.  The urgency of this matter can hardly be over-estimated.

Sunday Opinion Highlights

A couple of opinion pieces really grabbed me this past week-end.  The first is linked-to below.  Hugh Hefner was certainly no one to hold up as a paragon of virtue.  In many countries he simply wouldn't have been able to do all he did.  I support America's approach to freedom, and Mr. Hefner was certainly free to live a promiscuous life if he saw fit.  But to advance this modality in public shows not only Hefner's depravity, but that of American culture.

Just to show how complex this is, though, his publishing depicted a part of American reality.  As such, it should not have been, and, indeed, could not have been shut down.

So where does this leave us?  No one is completely evil.  Even the Devil himself was once an angel in heaven, we are told.  And even Evil Incarnated can only exist because it serves the purpose of the Divine.  Or so traditional Judeo-Christian theology tells us.

The evil in the case of Mr. Hefner was his treatment of women -- a subject which has become increasingly dear to my heart.  The objectification of women -- to dignify the matter with an elevated term -- served to demean them.  And America needed no encouragement of this kind, as a body of history is now showing.

The second matter is that of the protests of NFL players.  This is a more complicated matter than that of women's rights.  And yet, when we are talking about Civil Rights, and equality of the races, the answer should be clear -- people have the right, even the duty to protest.  Whether kneeling for the National Anthem (which was made so by Congress only in 1931), is the right way to protest can be debated.  But it is not for OML* to use the remaining prestige of his office to demean and badger the protestors.  People are free to pay to see, or not;  to watch on TV or not.  At any rate, as one writer said, when a view is held by the majority, protest is rarely needed.  We must vigorously support the right of everyone to peaceably protest.

----------

(I am looking for the article by the NFL player who wrote about the matter this past Sunday.  Eventually, I'm sure I will find it.)

Hugh Hefner Undeserving of Praise

*Our Military Leader

Retrospective: Hillary Clinton "Mirrors" Ad

Amidst all the hub-bub of last year's fall campaign, certain messages got lost, and are now almost forgotten.  Now is as good a time as any to re-visit some of the issues which the vote-winner held up as a mirror for us to see ourselves as we really are.

Let us remember women's rights and needs.  

Stopping a Projected Computerized "Apocalypse"

Despite the, well, apocalyptic title of the article, The Atlantic magazine presents a well-written piece on the dangers of the usual way of programming computers.  The author in presenting the views of visionary thinkers, offers a way to prevent catastrophe.

Very helpful.  A must-read for anyone interested in the future.


Changing How Computers Are Coded

Breaking Today:

Sen. John McCain Signals Death Knell for Obamacare Repeal

This is good news indeed, assuming the other Senators which have expressed doubts about the Graham-Cassidy bill hold fast.

I'm not sure this will be the end of Republican efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act which has so benefited Americans.  But this latest effort is clearly in deep trouble.

Quick Link --

McCain Signals Death to Health Care Law Repeal

OF INTEREST

 For your pleasure, the first Telstar broadcast from America to Europe -- 1962

This exciting, moving broadcast was sent from New York to Europe in July 1962.  Some of us were too young to have seen it, or not even born yet.  This particular version includes a lengthy introduction by a former broadcaster in South Dakota.  If you would like to skip through, the 1962 broadcast begins some 15-20 minutes into the vlog. 

New York Times Writer Urges Open Carry Ban

Photo Reuters via New York Times

The writer of the article at the below link writes clearly about the history of banning the open carrying of weapons here and abroad.  It shows why the Second Amendment does not apply to armed gangs at rallies, such as was seen in Charlottesville, Virginia last month.  It is one of the finest pieces of writing on the subject of open carry I have ever seen.

Highly recommended, indeed.


Ban Open Carry, Says New York Times Writer

Strengthening Constitutional Democracy

More Evidence the Profit System Is On the Way Out

An interesting and important article by a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School in yesterday's New York Times, shows how today's rising inequality was not foreseen by our Constitution.  Although at least one founding father did foresee a time when disparity between economic classes would grow, the Convention rejected plans to center the government around a class-based Congress, a la Europe.

The author, Ganesh Sitaraman, calls on wise patriots of today to help guide our country to a more equitable nation.  

 "...in order to form a more perfect union..."  

A must-read:  

Our Constitution Wasn't Build for This

Houston Flooding Tells Us: Time for the Profit System to Go

Below is a major excerpt from an interview with Fred Magdoff, co-author of Creating an Ecological Society:  Toward a Revolutionary Transformation, with Chris Williams;   and What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism, with John Bellamy Foster.  

Interview: Fred Magdoff

The flooded landscape of 21st century capitalism

September 6, 2017

Fred Magdoff is co-author of Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation, with Chris Williams, and What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know about Capitalism, with John Bellamy Foster. He talked to Michael Ware about the causes of the catastrophe that has struck Houston and the Gulf Coast--and what it will take to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

IS THERE reason to believe that global warming made Hurricane Harvey more intense than it would have been?

YES, ABSOLUTELY. The oceans are warmer, and the Gulf of Mexico in particular has warmed significantly--this year is the warmest of all.

The warmer the water, the more easily water can evaporate, and a warmer atmosphere can hold more water, so you have that aspect as well. Storms in general have been getting more intense--not just this particularly intense storm.

There's another factor as well: The poles are warming faster than the middle of the earth, causing less of a gradient between the temperatures in both places. This affects the atmospheric transfer--that is, the jet streams. One of the predicted effects of this is that weather patterns will slow down--things won't move as fast as they normally would.

This is one of the factors that made Harvey so devastating: it stuck around. It moved a little bit, but in a circle, and it made landfall again and again. I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of the reason why it stayed so long before it started moving out toward the Northeast. That's also an effect of human activity and global warming.

But the major factor is that there's more evaporation from the large bodies of water, the atmosphere holds more water, and we have more intense storms in general.

HOW DID capitalist development in Houston make the effects of the storm even worse? Also, there are more than 1,000 people dead in in South Asia--why are the floods like those in Bangladesh, India and Nepal also more deadly?

I CAN'T speak as much to the impact in Asia or the specifics of the geography as I can about Houston. But this was also the result of a monsoon, with a similar phenomenon of intense rainfall. Bangladesh is also affected by rising sea levels, but the disaster is also affecting northern Bangladesh, away from the coast.

As for Houston--and it's not just Houston, but the surrounding area in Texas, all the way up the coast toward Louisiana--there has been incredible development, with the construction of roads and shopping malls and industries and houses.

This building is taking place on what, in the past, was substantial open land, some of it grassland and prairie, which is incredibly absorbent of water. What's happened is a significant portion of this open land has been paved over or covered over or otherwise made impermeable.

In Houston itself, there is essentially no zoning whatsoever, so people can do what they want, wherever they want. It's designed to cause a disaster. If you wanted to make the effects of a natural disaster worse, this is how you would go about doing it.

This is one of the underlying issues with regard to capitalism: the real estate interests are so powerful. And that isn't just a Houston issue either--it happens in other places. In the book Creating an Ecological Society that I wrote with Chris Williams, we have a section on unnatural natural disasters, where we talk about something very similar that had happened last year in Louisiana. We quote a professor at length saying that this area never should have been developed.

Anyone who was looking at the question dispassionately would have known this, but the real estate interests convinced governments to allow it to happen anyway. The real estate interests are quite powerful all over the country, and they exert a lot of power at the local, state and regional levels.
So you have an area that's prone to flooding, and one of the means that this was dealt with in the past--the percolation of water into soil and the slow release from the groundwater to the bayous--has been eliminated.

Once you eliminate 30 to 40 percent of the land that once served that function, every storm immediately becomes worse. There was major flooding in Houston last year--they called it the Tax Day flood because it came on April 18, when taxes were due. The year before, it happened on Memorial Day.

So flooding in Houston is not an unusual issue. This, of course, was an unusual storm. It's referred to as a 1,000-year storm, meaning it's a storm that will happen, on average, only once every 1,000 years--or it's actually more accurate to say that in any given year, there's a a 0.1 percent chance of a storm this severe taking place. And in 2016 and 2015, there were 500-year storms.
That's my take. You have capitalism affecting the climate through global warming and affecting the built environment through real estate development, both of which make a whole region more vulnerable to flooding.

AND NOT only did this development turn Houston into a kind of bathtub without a large enough drain, but there wasn't really a plan in place to deal with the flooding--even after the previous flooding in Houston or the disasters following Sandy and Katrina. So what do we have to do differently in the future to both protect people and provide relief immediately when these disasters happen?

THERE'S A lot more that can be done than is being done. But some of it is being done, carried out by regular folks. Disasters like this generally bring out the best in people. There are a lot of volunteers helping to rescue people or feed people in the various shelters that they have set up. Charities and Texas state and Houston employees are helping. And the federal government will help some through FEMA.

But they're saying that 100,000 homes in Houston that have been flooded. I have no idea whether that's accurate. And that's just Houston--there are many other locations around Houston and all the way up the coast to the northeast that have been flooded as well, and very few residents have flood insurance.

If you live in what is classified as a 100-year flood zone, you are required to have flood insurance in order to get a mortgage, that is. But the problem is that the flooded areas aren't only in the 100-year flood zones, but the 500- or 1,000-year flood zones as well.

So probably 80 percent or more of the homes that have been severely affected don't have any flood insurance. Those homeowners will only get modest help through FEMA--nowhere near what they need to rebuild or to renovate. And I expect that many of the homes that the news footage showed to be deeply flooded will be beyond renovation.

This is a human tragedy--not just for the homeowners, but for renters as well. Where do they go? Who provides them with reasonable housing? That could be accomplished by a government which has, as one of its main purposes, serving the people. You see empathy and caring and help at the personal level, but you don't see it at the governmental level to anywhere near the extent needed.

DID GOVERNMENT administrators in Houston know this disaster could happen, but didn't do anything about it because of the cost or pressure from real estate interests?

THE IMPORTANT thing to remember is that this disaster didn't start last week--it happened over decades. That's the real problem.

Last December, there was an article about Houston published by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune called "Boomtown, Floodtown." They document, going back to the 1930s, how flooding has taken place in Houston as a byproduct of development.

So obviously, they knew last year that disasters of this large magnitude could happen, but it's hard to say what could have been done at that point to stop it, because the solution would have to be long-term planning going back decades--not having such a large city, with the areas surrounding it built up to such an extent that so capacity for absorbing so much rainfall was lost.

You can say that the city could have come up with an evacuation plan and put that in place. But we're talking about millions of people to evacuate, so it's not easy to do. But beyond that, what could have been done is decades in the past. Flooding took place this year, last year and the year before. Who's to say it isn't going to happen again this year or next year?

AND THE problem with that is that there 840 petrochemical refining and power plants in the Texas-Louisiana border region. Why are these facilities so concentrated there? Why are so many nuclear power plants--like Fukushima in Japan, which was hit by the tsunami--located near rivers or seacoasts? How does this impact drinking water or marine life?

FIRST OF all, nuclear power plants need to be near water because they need a mechanism for cooling the reactor. In the case of Fukushima, the water came out of the sea and went back to it after cooling the plant. Every nuclear power plant needs this, as do plants that run on coal, because they depend on water being turned to steam.

So water is a part of the system--one that can become very difficult to manage. Nuclear power plants in particular need to be built near large sources of water if they are to be at all economical--which, of course, they aren't, but that's a whole other story.

Fukushima was a disaster waiting to happen. There are old stone carvings, dating back hundreds of years, above the zone that the tsunami reached which say: "Don't build below this zone because tsunamis can happen here."

So it's not like the owners of these businesses didn't know a disaster like that could happen. But they figured: "What are the odds?" I'm sure the executives who planned Fukushima didn't expect this to happen. But the fact is they were building in a zone where tsunamis had swamped the whole area previously.

Why the concentration of petrochemical plants in the Mississippi River area, along the Louisiana and Texas coast? That has to do with where oil has come from historically and how shipping takes place. These plants are located near the source of oil, at least originally, and with access to the means to transport petroleum products, both within the U.S. or overseas.

From a narrow economic point of view, that makes sense. And I'm sure these companies have insurance for flood damage, even though many of the residents in the surrounding areas didn't.
I'm also sure the petrochemical companies have taken some mitigating measures to limit damage. For example, drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have been raised--they used to be 40 feet above sea level, and now they're closer to 70 or 90 feet above sea level. So the industry knows there's a problem, and it's trying to limit the damage.

But when these chemical plants get inundated, who knows what goes into the water? We know a tremendous amount of toxic material has polluted the water--and also the air, as a result of fires at places like the Arkema plant near Houston, when the power went out to refrigeration systems that were there to cool reactive chemicals.

There were backup generators, but the backup generators flooded, so some of the storage tanks exploded. These aren't major explosions, but the fires and the gases fueling them are quite noxious.
These things are going to happen when you build a plant like that in a zone where floods are possible. But it wasn't planned for. They had backup generators in the event of a power failure, but they didn't have another mechanism if those failed.

***************

Read more at:

The Flooded Landscape of Twenty-first Century Capitalism 

(The SocialistWorker.org)

Lest We Forget: Bush Knew

-- New York Post

 

See video at right.

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

Coming up on my schedule is a second viewing of the Greg Palast film, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

As regular readers here know, the subject of voter suppression has been a concentration of mine ever since the election last fall, an election in which the announced winner was not the person who received the most votes.

What does this say about are supposed democracy?   

Historian Tells The Truth About Our Military Leader

Quick Link --

Tonight I am reading the referenced article (see below) from May of this year.  Although events have seemingly weakened Our Military Leader (OML) since then, the fascist tendencies shown then and now make the possibility of a coup against democracy seem real.  The historian here also deals with why it is so hard for Americans to recognize the possibility of fascism in America.

Events in Charlottesville and elsewhere have made it clearer to Americans that such a movement is very real now.  As people get clearer the chance of meaningfully opposing OML grows.

Fascinating and Useful:
From May 2017: How Trump Could Stage a Coup

Harvey Alters Political Landscape

It seems rather seedy to rejoice over the fact that a dangerous tropical storm could shift political winds in Washington.  But this is indeed what has happened, according to The New York Times today.

And perhaps rather than being seedy, one can mourn the losses in Texas and still see a silver lining in the clouds hanging over the land.

No matter the context, Republicans in Washington are suddenly sailing under a different banner, one of compassion and open-pocketbooks for Texans.  This has already affected projected spending for the border wall, as well as plans for a threatened government shut-down.

Be safe Texas.  We will stand with you no matter what. 

Political Winds Shift With Harvey

Cascading Events

Resuming  (See below)


Newsworthy items I am watching now

• Hurricane Harvey
• The Arpaio pardon
• China seeks political foothold in Greece

Please come back for more on stories like these soon.

As someone once said,  "Keep the faith, baby!"

Resuming:  I have been out of state this past week tending to personal business and am now resuming by duties here.  Thank you for your patience

The Kochan Empire

Things go worse with Koch


Book Review


D ear Friend,

Things are going swimmingly with Dark Money and me.  To say this book is a block-buster hardly does it justice.  It is dynamic, well-researched, with critically important information.

The author is Jane Mayer.


Highly recommended.

Dark Money -- The Secret to Understanding American Politics

Jane Mayer, author

Rush Post --

I have just become aware of a 2016 book treating the rise of huge amounts of "dark money," hitting the political wheels.  Please help me review the review!


A most promising premise:
Book Discussion with Author: Dark Money

A Nazi Assassinated An American ‘In Broad Daylight’: Van Jones

Blogging the Fascist Attack in Charlottesville

A better, clearer way of describing the horror in Charlottesville on Saturday:

Nazi Kills American in Broad Daylight

Continuing to Blog Charlottesville

A Presidential resignation is quick, and easy.  It can even be done in one sentence.


Contained in article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-dingell-congress-world-war-ii-fight-nazis-again_us_59910f5be4b08a24727558d6

Americans Across the Country United To Oppose Fascists

Quick Link --


Americans Rally Against Fascists

Former Pres. Clinton Advisor Calls Current Occupant Mentally Ill

Quickly --

A former advisor to Bill Clinton who had a one-hour meeting with him has named Our Military Leader "mentally ill."


Bill Curry further states the media is guilty of gross malpractice.  More below:



Media Called Out for Inattention. Incompetence

Lying Can Be Attractive...

...for both speaker and audience

The American citizenry continues to endure a seemingly unremitting barrage of untruths, partial truths, and outright lies from the White House and the current executive of the Oval Office -- Our Military Leader (OML).

The article referenced below gives a certain explanation of the cause of the lying and its attraction for listeners in America.  It is a sad thing to think that Americans have become so used to dissembling from its politicians, that one who seems to do it with particular boldness, regularity and panache, is actually appreciated for his non-honest "candor."


Lying Can Be Attractive

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.

–Abraham Lincoln

We are told that Our Military Leader does not read books.  There are ever so many quotes about books that would apply here.  But the one above is better than most.  

Keeping in Touch on a Summer Afternoon

In parts of Latin America and Africa, winter grinds on.  But here in the upper regions of the globe summer continues full throttle, casting its glowing sunshine into and through the trees, round and about the watery regions, and down into crevices and basements everywhere.  At such a time, it is tempting to cast aside all cares, including concerns about country and world.  And yet events of a certain kind continue and there is need for continued watchfulness in Washington and elsewhere.

People I talk with -- average citizens -- are learning to tune-out things relating to that important capitol.  This is not to say I completely approve of this practice.  Yet, it is a justifiably self-preserving reaction to something approaching insanity, and certainly chaos, in the White House.

However, as I have indicated there is a place for continual concern.  Fortunately, certain people in D.C. are responsible enough and experienced enough to keep the machinery of government running with or without a certain kind of direct approval from high places.  Thus, it seems the government is yet safe, even if only on a day-to-day and almost ad hoc basis.  To this extent, we can be grateful.   

Book Review: Rule and Ruin

(A work in progress)

I can hardly recommend the book Rule and Ruin by Kabaservice highly enough.  Now half-way through the book, I am learning about the second year of the Nixon Presidency, including his pivot toward catering more to the Southern conservatives.  The book reads almost like a good detective story.

Obviously Mr. Kabaservice has indeed investigated thoroughly his subject -- the rise of the radical right within the Republican Party from Eisenhower to the tea party movement.  It is a story of intrigue and convenience, of ambition blind and otherwise, and a tale -- we are promised -- of ruin.

Highly recommended

"Game of Thrones" + "House of Cards" = "Game of Cards"

Watching the melodrama which is today's White House may be fun for some members of the media -- and this has even been admitted by a couple -- but as far as Americans are concerned this is no game.

Robert Reich reports here:

Republicans Abandoning Trump in Favor of Pence: Report

The Worst Is Yet to Come

-- Eugene Robinson

There is a difference, dear reader, between cynicism and prudent realism.  And the thing for the prudent realist now is to prepare for what is yet to be in the on-going saga of Our Military Leader (OML).*   

Today's Eugene Robinson column in The Washington Post gives numerous examples of an escalating crisis surrounding OML's White House.  The leader who was installed in that vaunted mansion by wealthy ideologues and libertarian sychopants (I shall not hold back today), descends ever deeper into his own reality, one based essentially on his own welfare.

It is understandable and permissible to want to defend oneself.  But just as there is a difference between cynicism and realism, there is a difference between self-preservation, and making war on a large part of the rest of the world.

Perhaps it is time for the rest of us to build the intellectual equivalent of a nuclear bomb shelter. 


Eugene Robinson on What Is Yet to Be



*a.k.a. Trump  

Attack Mode at the White House

Quick Link --

Scaramucci v. Preibus:

Inter-attack Mode in White House

OML* Administration Turmoil Reaches Epic Proportions

Trying to Catch Up with Cascading Events

From Friday, July 21, 2017
White House Communications Shake-Up Called Foolish By Bush Pro



*Our Military Leader

GOP Voter Suppression Effort Now on Steroids

The video below contains new information, not available before, tying voter suppression efforts to a new Presidential so-called commission on voter fraud.  And -- names have been shared with this commission, maybe yours.

A must-see

Barack Obama v. Scaramucci

Quick Link --

Pres. Barack Obama has his priorities straight.


Barack Obama v. Scaramucci

Super Password Theme Lights Up the Summer Night

From the NBC TV Show --  

Super Password - Opening - On-Air Edit Theme Song - TelevisionTunes.com

Back to Our Musical Roots

A summertime light treat for the ears and mind --

Super Password - Opening - On-Air Edit Theme Song - TelevisionTunes.com

Keith Olbermann Delineates Media Obligation

Commentator Keith Olbermann makes clear in a recent video exactly what the media must and must not do now that Our Military Leader has essentially declared war on the press. 

I believe that the current Oval Office Occupant will ultimately fail in his attempt to belittle, sideline, and vitiate the media.  What Mr. Oblermann perhaps does not see clearly enough is the fact that media persons in this country are often employed by mega-corporations not altogeter displeased with the Trumpian approach to making big money in America.

Still, we can all support Mr. Olbermann's keen observations. 


What Media Should Do Now

Actor Robert Clary: Lest We Forget

Video Special

Well-known actor Robert Clary gives a human face to the victimization of the Jews under Hitler.

Note to Dedicated Readers and Others

The original plan for this web log did not include dealing on a regular basis with what amounts to governmental insanity, although the various illegitimate elections of G. W. Bush were certainly on the side of unreason.  So the situation which confronts us today requires a deeper looking at things.  Sometimes this may take more time to research and present.  I imagine other writers across the media spectrum have felt something similar. 

Those of us without a psychology degree end up flying somewhat by the seat of our pants as we try to analyze and fathom what to many appears unfathomable, a man without the aegis of a verifiable election result who is yet our Military Leader and has meetings and takes telephone calls in the White House, and is even called "Mr. President" by various unwitting world leaders.

But the lack of professional jargon of the mind may be a blessing in disguise, as your grandmothers used to put it.  For isn't there value in simply calling a falsehood a lie, and then acting appropriately upon that knowledge?  The problem, of course, is that an even bigger lie has been accepted -- that somehow a person who lost by over two million votes, and then has been shown to be the beneficiary of major voter suppression efforts* in enough states to affect the outcome -- that this person should somehow be taken as real, legitimate, qualified, and worthy of presidential-level respect.

So we have a Never-never Land fiasco unfolding on a daily basis.  And yet, oddly, there is more reason for hope than ever, we sense.  While Washington is tangled in a mess, the citizens are moving ahead with their lives doing their best with the everyday challenges which are part and parcel of a harried existence. 

For one thing, the young are very aware.  And they care.  Some are even taking action.  Older people such as members of the Code Pink movement are active.  Former coal miners in Kentucky sigh as they realize they may have been victims of a hoax.

So America goes on in these sultry days of the second half of July.  Creatures, both human and others, wait a freshening rain, yea, a deluge of truth and justice.  May this happen in a near time. 




*See the work of Greg Palast

America Aghast

The country is aghast at the implications of the Donald Trump, Jr., meetings with a Russian attorney.  While there is much that is unknown, what is already known is alarming conservatives as well as those of every political stripe.

Time precludes a fuller discussion here now.  But, the recent filing of an impeachment article against Our Military Leader in the House of Representatives may be an indication of the direction things are moving in. 

The Truth About Election Fraud?

Yesterday the headline to the lead editorial in The New York Times caught my eye.  I was excited to read that I was going to be treated to the "real" election fraud of 2016.  I thought, "Finally The Times has discovered the nine methods of voter suppression tactics used by Republicans last year as originally reported by well-known investigative writer, Greg Palast, and broadcast by Joy Reid on MSNBC.  

Alas, I was to be sadly disappointed, as the article simply told about the dangers of Russian hacking. Certainly, Russian operatives did hack both the Democratic National Committee and its Republican counterpart.  But I have seen no evidence that said Russian persons or their henchmen penetrated any of our states' electronic voting systems.   I await any countervailing proof.

In a separate post I hope to write about some of the reasons why I think it is so hard for Americans to believe their election could have been compromised by Americans.  But for now, it seems fairly obvious why it could have happened:  There are plenty of very wealthy people who had the motive, since the Republican Party has reliably offered tax reduction for the wealthy.  This matter of motive is not so hard to believe.  Much more can be said.

I ask and invite you to help spread the word about the Republican theft of Election 2016.  Refer people to the Greg Palast web site.  Refer them here.  The facts are available and discoverable.

So let the discovery begin.   

States Refuse to Cooperate with OML's Voter Intimidation "Commission"

Forty-four states are refusing to hand over data requested by the Executive's so-called commission on voting integrity.  This panel, appointed by Our Military Leader (OML), seeks to harass states and voters with requests for personal Social Security numbers and Driver's Licenses to no good purpose.  Numerous studies have shown there was absolutely no wide-spread voter fraud last year.

What we did have were organized, criminal voter suppression tactics with race-based real-world results.  

This current "commission," headed by Kobach, the nation's most visible vote suppression guru, is an outrageous waste of time and tax-payer money.  It may also prove criminal in effect. 


States Refuse to Cooperate with OML's Voter Intimidation "Commission"

Media Continue to Normalize OML to Our Nation's Detriment

Briefly but importantly --

Most news media in America continue to normalize Our Military Leader (OML).  Every day which goes by on which OML is treated as being legitimate, is a day longer before sanity returns to the citadels of American leadership.

It is hard to see how things will turn out in the end.  We can trust that in the end all will be well.  But that may be an assumption without many facts at this point.  And yet hope we must.  For the alternative is unthinkable. 

Jimmy Carter and Bernie Sanders Stand Fast for Human Rights

In a time when human rights are under attack at home and abroad Former President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Sanders stand firm.   

Former President Carter Shakes Hands on Plane

via ABC News --

The ever-gracious Jimmy Carter greets passengers on plane.

I'll have more video later.


iframe src='http://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=47972208' width='640'


There is no date on this video.   

The Rule and Ruin of the G.O.P.

Eleven years ago in the first summer of this blog, I featured numerous posts about the book I was reading then, called Theologians Under Hitler.  I fondly remember reading it in a front-yard swing at my parents' summer home.  Memories of intellectual stimulation and enlightenment through that book are still with me.

It appears that this summer's book is becoming Rule and Ruin by Geoffrey Kabaservice.  The somewhat long subtitle is, "The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party."

Only a short way into the book, I am enormously impressed with both the focus and execution of the tome.  It tells a forgotten history of an ideologically mixed party, which in fact was essentially a fairly moderate party, conservative on fiscal matters, progressive on Civil Rights.  Always there was within the party, of course, a right-wing.  But not until the 1950's and Senator Joseph McCarthy paving the way did so-called movement conservatism gain traction.

The full story is amply and well-told in this volume by Kabaservice.  His warning is extremely valuable as we now find ourselves in the position of so many other countries with two parties, almost exclusive of each other ideologically, and locked in something akin to mortal combat.

Yet this has not been America's history until quite recently.  It is this division which directors of America's intelligence services are warning about.  The United States, they advise us, is now threatened not only from without but within.  This is a problem of the gravest national urgency and must be addressed with thoughtful and concrete actions -- and without delay.   

N.B. for photo and graphic aficionados:  the shadowing and fading of the above picture of the book cover is part of the original design of the cover.  Actual print on the book cover is essentially quite clear.   

An Indirect Reference to the Stolen Election of 2016

Although not direct evidence, of course, the fact that a majority of Wisconsin voters now disapprove of Our Military Leader (OML) is an indication that something is amiss in Wisconsin.

Americans are indeed disturbed by Our Military Leader.  Yet where is the press when it comes to reporting on the nine methods of voter suppression used by Republicans and their henchmen last year?

Nevertheless, truth keeps seeping through.  The referenced article shows this.  


Majority of Wisconsin Voters Disapprove of OML Performance

Bankers Said to Be Behind Puerto Rico Crisis

 The commonwealth’s financial woes didn’t happen by accident—they were the result of decades of public immiseration and private gain.

It is clear from the article at the link below that Puerto Rico's current misery didn't happen by accident.   As usual with situations of this kind, the profit motive has been alive and well in our island "nation" to the south.   

We must remember that the profit system is of real flesh and blood people.  These people make decisions to benefit themselves, often regardless of the needs of other people.   All too often the result is suffering and even tragedy.  

It doesn't have to be.

Bankers Behind Puerto Rico Crisis

On This Date In History -- New Feature

On This Date in History...

President Lyndon Johnson met with Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin at Glassboro, New Jersey, in an effort to diffuse tensions in the Cold War.  Results were less than satisfactory, however, as Viet Nam and other issues continued to divide the two great nations.  

Certainly the hope was that one day Russia, or the Soviet Union, would be partners in peace around the world.  Fifty years later, the Soviet Union is no more, but a former member of the KGB, and now leader of a resurgent Russia, seeks to create a network of alliances and influence to counter perceived threats from the West.

Whatever the ills of Russia, and there are many, the world must find a means to mutual respect so the people of the world can be safe.   

A recurring feature of The Musical Patriot


Source:   History Channel

Left to right:  Aleksei Kosygin, Lyndon Johnson
courtesy Wikimedia