Well, never is a long time, as they say.

Yet imagine this scenario, which is quite possible:

Trump is impeached and removed.  Almost immediately, there is an incredible outpouring of information on an additional set of crimes committed by Trump and his administration.  Simultaneously, the U.S. morphs into a social democracy, and its people enjoy quality education, access to healthcare, and prosperity, not unlike those in Northern Europe and elsewhere around the globe.

Yes, there will always be Republicans promising mass deportations, invading Greenland, a ban on Sharia law, the renaming of every body of water that is adjacent to a U.S. state, and whatever else appeals to a dwindling base of MAGA idiots, but I would think they will have one hell of a hard time winning a national election.

 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

I join those who say that the human race has evolved to be tribal and selfish. We are largely indifferent to the needs of others, and the capitalist society we’ve built has only served to reenforce this.

As Tom Waits observed, “We’re monkeys with money and guns.”

Now, are there some extremely decent and kind people spread around the globe?  Of course.  But they tend not to be the billionaires who make all the important decisions as to how our culture will conduct itself.

Tagged with: , , ,

The GOP can say the American economy is skyrocketing.  But then there’s that nasty little piece of reality that people can’t afford groceries and are suffering financially more generally.

Or they can say that people are suffering financially, but it’s Biden’s fault.  Oops.  Biden left office 588 days ago.

Or they can say that the war in Iran has driven up gas prices, but that will turn immediately because we’ve won the war.  Yikes.  What can we say about all these bombs?

Or they can say that all the racial hatred and divisiveness is Obama’s fault. No, that’s problematic, since he’s been gone for almost 10 years.

Trump supporters may not be too sharp, but even they are having trouble accepting all this crap.

 

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

At what point did 30% of the U.S. electorate become so tuned into a criminal sociopath’s wanting to rename places in the Western Hemisphere in an effort towards his own self-aggrandizement?

The only interesting question that remains is what if any trajectory does this nation have to recover some level of dignity once Trump is removed from the presidency.

Some say it will take generations.  No one knows for certain.

 

Tagged with: , ,

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

One of humankind’s greatest thoughts is embodied in this quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus.  It’s right up there with “I think therefore I am,” and “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

But where the last two of the three are indisputable, what up with this “persistence of change” stuff?

It’s true that the aspects of people and things change.  The walls of the Grand Canyon are constantly shifting, but no sensible person thinks it’s a different place than it was millions of years ago.

Most of the cells in my body die and are replaced in a matter of a few months, and my attitudes and believes morph day by day.  But my beloved kindergarten teacher, Alice Adams, will exist in my memories until the day I die.

What Heraclitus left of us is intellectually stimulating, but it doesn’t affect how we function as human beings.

 

Tagged with: , , , ,

Americans have a wide variety of needs. Affordability, healthcare, ending the war, and justice for Trump and his administration are probably at the top.

Nowhere on the list is the distraction that accompanies renaming a body of water.

 

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sadly, a significant number of U.S. voters believe what House Speaker Mike Johnson says here, i.e., that “God isn’t finished with America yet,” and that “We need people (from the Republican party) of character and integrity,” as if there are any.

But what is that number, roughly?

After living through the first 18 months of Trump’s second term, with all the lies, the incompetence, and the corruption, this number has dwindled to a point that the Republicans are bracing themselves for the worst.

 

Tagged with: , , , ,

A reader asks: Can I get the scare tactic for next cycle? I want to get a head start on the memes.
Ha! Exactly.
Republicans are counting on the idea that the average American is so ignorant that he can’t distinguish between the governments of modern-day North Korea and Norway.
This is how far we’ve fallen, and in just a few years.
What’s next?
Tagged with: , , ,

As shown at left, it’s possible to use helium ballons to lift a wind turbine high into the troposphere, where wind currents are stronger and more stable than they are near the Earth’s surface.  Experiments with such devices have been being conducted since long before 2GreenEnergy came on the scene in 2009.

There are intrinsic limitations to this approach, however.  Long tethers can run afoul of aviation, and they face extreme stress and operational complexity. Translation: huge costs, which is why we don’t see these in commercial use.

Did China test one of these?  Probably.  About 20 years ago.

 

Tagged with: , , ,

I’m sure there are tens of millions of idiots who believe what U.S. House Speaker Mark Johnson said at left.  Yet the majority of Americans understand that:

ICE is a lawless institution.

Trump consistently violates the Constitution by usurping the power that should reside in congress.

Our illegal war in Iran is endangering the entire planet, as is our war on clean energy.

Violent crime has been falling steadily since the early 1990s; Republicans taking credit for it is a lie.

Causing (some) voters to believe the lie that our elections are rigged endangers our democracy.  So is voter suppression.

Committing war crimes like the bombing of small boats off the coast of Venezuela helps to create a lawless world.

 

 

 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,