Life On A B-I7

Day #319

Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zakaria

What first drew me to this book was the fact that it took Fareed 10 year to write it. That’s a long time to bring a book from concept to publication. He ended up writing two other books in the interim in order to better present this topic. As I anticipated, it was a very good read. What made it good was the clear explanation of how progress is often (indeed, almost always) followed by periods of counter-progress.

We are facing a period in our history where the liberal order of the Post WW-II period is now being challenged by conservative, many would say reactionary forces. Viewed from the sweep of history, this is really nothing new. Fareed demonstrates clearly how progress has always been accompanied by periods of push-back. One of many examples was how the democratic revolution in France in the 18th Century ultimately led to the rise of Napoleon. There are no shortages of such examples throughout history.

Lately I’ve been feeling like we were heading toward another Robespierre/Napolean moment in history. I’m feeling much better now that Joe has woken up and handed the torch to someone younger, and more likely to defeat that scenario. I appreciate the fact that the word “woken” contains the word “woke.” That makes me smile.

Day #318

Great American Quotes

That Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
—The Constitution

We have a great dream. It started way back in 1776, and God grant that America will be true to her dream.
—Martin Luther King Jr.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
—John F. Kennedy

This is a new nation, based on a mighty continent, of boundless possibilities.
—Theodore Roosevelt

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.
—George Washington

The principle of free governments adheres to the American soil. It is bedded in it, immovable as its mountains.
—Daniel Webster

Whatever American hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower

For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest sleeping in the unplowed ground. Is our world gone? We say “Farewell.” Is a new world coming? We welcome it —and we will bend it to the hopes of man.
—Lynden B. Johnson

Every generation has the obligation to free men’s minds for a look at new worlds… to look out from a higher plateau than the last generation.
—Ellison S. Onizuka

May God continue the unity of our country as this railroad unites the two great oceans of the world.
—Inscribed on the Golden Spike, Promontory, Utah, 1869

The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or class —it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.
—Anna Julia Cooper

All of these quotes are found in the United States of America Passport Book. They are inspirational and provide living guidance for all of us that call ourselves Americans.

Eisenhower said it best. Our hearts must not be swayed by empty rehetoric, rather, we must hold to the dream as expressed by Martin Luther King.

Day #317

White Line Fever

There are crosswalks at most intersections and they usually have white lines in front to indicate where to stop. There are two types of drivers, those that can see the white line in front of their car after they stop and those who can’t. The second type of driver may or may not be over the line, for them the line is mostly there as a suggestion.

There is a third type of driver… those that can’t see the white line but they are not over it because they know precisely where the front of their car is without looking. This is because they have extraordinary perception and visual skills. I fall into the third category. It never fails to mystify the companion in the passenger seat…

Day #316

Driving North on I-5 today, I was passed by a semi with the slogan “Don’t follow me, follow Jesus” in large letters on the back of the truck. A short distance later I passed the same truck now on the shoulder with a State Patrol car, lights flashing, pulled up behind him. It was pretty clear the truck had been stopped for speeding. I wonder if the driver asked the patrol officer to give the ticket to Jesus…

Day #315

Republicans think they can use Trump, and they can. They can use him to implement the Project 2025 plan, as long as they give him what he wants which is money and immunity. He has a lot less money than he says he does. He could also use immunity, but that would be cheating the justice system, something he is very good at even without help from his Republican enablers.

Day #314

I’m going to miss this place when it’s gone. Should I go or should I stay. I don’t have an answer for that, but I’m working on it.

Day #313

If I could do anything (this is what has been going through my head lately) I would enroll in the North Bennet Street School in Boston MA. As a bonus I’d be able to take in a few Red Sox games…

Day #312

The Three Sisters and Broken Top from the Pine Martin Lodge on Mt. Bachelor.

Day #311

I’m a liar and I suck…

I was getting on my motorcycle at the grocery store and I noticed slogans hand painted across the side of the car parked next to me, they said:

Joe Biden is a liar and sucks

Joe Biden is Hamas

I found these shocking. I hung around to see who might come out. It was a disaffected old lady. I noticed her in the store and thought she had issues, sure enough, I learned a bit more about myself as I rolled out of the parking lot; on the back of her car was written:

Joe Biden $ Democrats are liars $ they suck

I think the use of a dollar sign could be intentional here… or it might be an indication of a lack of education, I can’t be positive because the word liar is spelled correctly…

Day #310

I was in Terrabone Oregon today shopping at the local grocery. I had cookies and muffins in my basket. (It was a special trip to the store to supplement our pantry because we have an out of town guest.) Anyway, there I was, I set my basket of diabetic food stuffs on the counter and the guy behind me asked me if I would like him to buy me a bag of potatoes (they were part of his items) Honest to god, I was dressed more or less normally, I replied “No thank you.” He was a bit taken aback. He said more people should be that polite. So I smiled and thanked him again. As the checker started to ring me up and I pulled out my wallet (he could see clearly I had some bills) he looked at me and apologized, saying, “I’m sorry I should never have asked you that.” I laughed and told him no problem and thanked him again. I’m not sure what it was about my clothing that made me look destitute, but I need to hang on to that ensemble for future use…

Day #309

Temperance, or as I like to think of it, living smartly, involves many personal commitments. Chief among them is moderation in the consumption of alcohol. One drink before dinner and one drink after dinner is my limit. I can be convinced to break this rule (I’m weak) but when I do it makes me angry with myself. When people around me break this rule, it makes me sad. To sum this up simply, if you are drinking for effect and not for taste, you are drinking for the wrong reason.

Day #308

Joe Biden’s policies and accomplishments have succeeded spectacularly. His downfall is his utter inability to educate the American voting public about those successes and thereby gain their support. Stepping in to that void is a man with the innate ability to rally the disaffected. This is the precursor to a collapse that will lead to the rich getting richer and the disaffected seeing their opportunities shrink even further.

Day #307

As Alexis de Tocqueville noted 150 years ago, it is relative deprivation, not absolute deprivation, that is the initiator of revolt.

Disaffection is the direct result of deprivation. Once disaffected, it is easy to convince someone that “others” are to blame. That is the final step to controlling over the disaffected.

Day #306

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday. I love you. Thank you for being a part of my life. I once got a ride from an Uber driver, and when I told him what a wonderful family I had, he told me he wanted to join my family. You are a big part of that.

Day #305

“The thing is not to try harder, but to resist less.” This quote is attributed to a Priest somewhere, not sure where, but I like it.

To try harder can lead to pushing on a string, to resist less allows the universe to unfold on your behalf.

Day #304

I went to a 4th of July Parade in Central Oregon. It was a small town. The “Queen” of the Parade was female, which I’m sure is just the way the town prefers it.

Day #303

I’m going to do the Democratic Party a solid; I’m going to call around and find a space at an assisted living/memory care facility so that President Biden has somewhere to go after January 20, 2025.

I’m also looking for a facility that can take him right away if he decides to bow out of the race.

Day #302

I’m sitting in my favorite brew pub watching Top Gun Maverick and the Kansas City Cleveland game. I can’t bring myself to watch the clown show called the presidential debate.

Day #301

Nobody writes HOA Meeting Minutes as well as I do. Of course, that’s not saying very much… Nobody reads HOA minutes and nobody in this bar cares about my note taking skills.

Day #300

I’m not sure I understand what’s going on with the Mariners’ scouting staff. I’m a liberal (which means I’m a liar and I suck… more on that to come) but I don’t get it. Why do the players look like thugs? Maybe they would play better if they put a bit more effort into their game and a bit less effort into looking cool.

If you don’t have the skill to kick ass, don’t compensate by trying to look like someone that can.

Day #299

I went into a bar in a less desirable part of Seattle (the “Five Star Dive Bar”) and the bartender told me, “you don’t look like a runner.” I suppose that’s a compliment… I told her it’s not likely I’d be running anywhere anyway. She laughed and said neither would she, something about bad knees. I’m fortunate, my knees only prevent me from running at the end of the ski season. I didn’t get into that with her. I didn’t mention that my goal for ‘24/‘25 is one million vertical. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t know what I was talking about…

Day #298

Donald Trump wants his MAMA.

He wants to “Make America Mine Again.”

Day #297

There is a segment of society that hates Barack 0’Bama. Why? Because he was a black man that had the temerity to celebrate the lives of great black Americans, like Willie Mays.

Why should that celebration matter? A great American is a great American. Do we want to live in a society where only white people have the authority to decide who is great and who should be recognized for greatness?

Day #296

Today is E. B. White’s birthday. It’s time to read Charlotte’s Web again…

…The story is about a little pig, the runt of the litter, that is saved at birth by the love a young girl Fern. She gives him the name Wilbur. He grows up to be strong and healthy but when it is time to procure a Christmas Ham, it becomes clear that Wilbur’s days are numbered. Charlotte the spider saves Wilbur by making him a celebrity with her creative web spinning. Sadly, Charlotte is aging and spins her last egg sack before passing away. Wilbur tends to the sack and makes sure all the hatchling are cared for until they are old enough to leave the nest. Three of the hatchlings choose to stay behind and become Wilbur’s companions.

This Newberry award winning children’s book teaches us several important lessons, among them; Fern learns that by her caring she can make a difference in the world. The friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur teaches us tolerance for those that are not the same as we are. Valuable lessons that can be learned and shared by any generation, our’s included.

This is a book that belongs on every bookshelf.

Day #295

Waiting On The World To Change

We see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it

When you trust your television
What you get is what you got
‘Cause when they own the information
They can bend it all they want

It’s not that we don’t care
We just know the fight ain’t fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

That’s a John Mayer song, but Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal do it better.

What will “make the fight fair?” This probably sounds “Magish,” That said, the grievance felt by the misguided right is not without some substance even though it stinks of credulity.