This Will Get More Comic Before it Gets Pitiful

https://nypost.com/2022/12/13/sam-bankman-fried-tells-court-he-plans-to-fight-extradition/

Sam was denied cash bail after broaching the subjects of is vegan diet and his ADD diagnosis to the Bahamian Magistrate. Bad news, pal of mine: this ain’t your Montessori kindergarten. There are no cruelty-free graham crackers or any fair-trade apple juice coming your way.

Just for the record: The Post mentioned that he was a Democratic donor. That is true, but like many billionaire patrons, he gives to everybody, Republicans included. Eventually, I expected him to go full Kyle Rittenhouse on the witness stand or in front of the House committee. What I’ll always remember is the laughter….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rJpRqK-8E&t=21s

Get your stopwatches ready…

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63950962

I am taking bets on how long it will take the fossil fuel industry, its investors, and its clients to invent a ‘sky is falling” WARNING about fusion energy. My money is on the Sunday morning interview shows 18 December, 2022, for the record. Email your bets.

Waiting….

I’m buzzing with anticipation for the outcome of Kari Lake’s lawsuit. She is demanding that election officials change the outcome of midterms so that she WINS! If she triumphs, it’ll be the green light for me to go ahead with my lawsuit against MGM casinos: I will DEMAND that they change my last poker hand Saturday night to a full house, aces over kings. High Rollers’ Suite here I come!

Update: 26 December, 2022: Surprise, surprise. The hoaxy, fraudy Woman Who Would Be Governor lost, and may be legally sanctioned for her “groundless” and “frivolous” lawsuit. Let me tune up the old keyboard after which I’ll sing my rendition of the classic “You Sowed it, So Get Reaping.” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/hobbs-seeks-sanctions-lake-election-suit-dismissed-rcna63274

Our Doom: Just An Academic Subject Now

This is not meant as a satyrical piece. I just think that the backgrounds from Doom did an admirable job at illustrating the landscape of post apocalyptic Earth.

For starters, I looked at the wiki for “Motor Vehicles,” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle#Comparison_by_regions). It indicates that there were 1,083,528,000 car registrations world wide. Of these registrations, about 16. million were electrical cars. (http://chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/e0d2081d-487d-4818-8c59-69b638969f9e/GlobalElectricVehicleOutlook2022.pdf). The wiki indicated that there were 406,770,000 truck and bus registrations, which also included minivans, SUVs, and light trucks.

Imagine a world in which the Fossil Fuel Empire has halted its propaganda and political campaigns to derail effective climate change legislation. Let’s assume also that the various shipping, trucking, automobile, and petrochemical, trade associations have likewise given up their efforts to prevent such policies. Let us further assume that the companies that can produce electric vehicles do so, and produce no more internal combustion vehicles. Let us still further assume that practical, electrical semi trailer vehicles can be made for reasonable prices (currently this is being worked upon).

If all of this happens (very difficult goals already), and we manage to replace 100,000 gas powered vehicles per day with electrical ones, it would take 40 years to replace all of them. Climate change isn’t some administrative problem that will be solved by altering policy in a few undetectable ways and then we go on again with life as we’ve practiced it for the last 100 years.

Inconvenient? of course it is inconvenient. How much of a hassle was it when livery owners had to sell their horses when it became clear the automobile would take over? How difficult was it when cobblers had to stop manufacturing shoes because factories were producing them so cheaply? How difficult was it when pumping gas was no longer a way for the uneducated to make a living?

Nor does this stylized example solve the problem of replacing petrochemicals in all of their destructive forms. Look at your room right now and remove everything in it that’s made from petroleum. For me, that means removing: 3 telephones, 3 tables, the upholstery to a loveseat, a couch, and a chair, 3 protective furniture coverings, a thermostat, 4 throw rugs, a dozen dog toys, 8 pillows, an artificial Christmas tree, the paint on 6 dining room chairs, a dining room table, plus, all of the lights, and several coats of paint. ETC.

True, a lot of what I mentioned above could be made out of different materials, but none of these products will be as inexpensive as the plastic/petrochemical versions. In short, we will have to learn how to deal with either having less “stuff” than we used to own or with the fact that it will all become noticeably more expensive.

This all makes Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (1971) a surprisingly prescient book now. It told the story of a single factory owner who used every single Truffula Tree so that he could produce and sell Thneeds, which “everyone needs.” The argument for his overconsumption is the same as the basic one behind capitalism. If we don’t continue to economically grow, we will die. Somehow, investors will have to satisfy themselves with a sustainable version of “constant growth.” (Sigh). Lots of luck. The day that this country’s plutocrats willingly give up their claim on economic hegemony is the same day Sam Bankman-Fried admits he’s just a poorly-dressed, socially awkward thief.

From left, The Once-ler and The Lorax

I Suppose It’s Just Me…

…but shouldn’t 100% of the Republican Party condemn Trump’s explicit call for termination of the Constitution (https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/03/politics/trump-constitution-truth-social/index.html)? And if the party is incapable of such an obviously decent reaction to a call from a presidential candidate to dissolve the key document on which U.S. government is based, shouldn’t the Democratic party be trumpeting Republicans’ moral vacancy to the world? This is, after all, the same document which all federal U.S. employees swear to support, whether they are private soldiers or elected Presidents.

It is rather pathetic of me, I have to admit, but one of my greatest joys lately is watching while Trump buries himself alive.

Post-Script, 5 December, 2022: Oops, spoke too soon. Glad to hear it, Democrats: https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/12-5-2022/bashing-trump-silence/

Post-Post-Script: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63995563

If he wasn’t such a hateful wad of bigoted cockroach crap, I’d say the Big Offer of NFT trading cards of his image transfers him from being a “Despot” to just being a “pathetic, incontinent, isolated narcissist.” Truly, if Steve Bannon can look down upon you, you’re lower than a coal miner’s cigarette butt.

The funny part is that supposedly, they all sold out already. One of two things happened: Trump bought them all himself, or Mike Lindell did so, hoping to get Trump to return his phone calls again.

Are We Coming to Our Collective Senses?

What I have always found so frustrating about the rise of Trumpism is not that he was such a revoltingly bigoted and ignorant grifter, but that he had so many mindless followers who were praying for him to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue so that they could ignore it. It appears, mercifully, that the crest of Trump’s hateful popularity might has passed. He and his movement are still concerning, but it appears that any chance he had to substitute Caligula’s Twisted Ideals for the U.S. Constitution has passed (I just knocked upon every piece of wood within reach).

Democrats have retained control of the Senate, but may still lose the house. Regardless, the message is clear: political violence in the U.S. does not necessarily yield political power. Despite the insurrection, the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys, several hate-inspired mass shootings, etc, there remains a minute division between Democrats and Republicans in the legislature, just like there was before Trump was elected.

Note also: despite the medieval temper tantrums at school board meetings, Fox News’ unerring help, the support of the Daily Mail, The Epoch Times, The North Cook News, and numerous other corporate sponsored pseudo news sources, Trump’s own inexhaustible self-promotion, and that of his numerous (though ever-diminishing) sycophants, the result is…few new supporters, and the continuous erosion of backing from America’s uncommitted voters.

This shouldn’t be much of a surprise. After 1968’s catastrophically violent Democratic convention, American voters gave the White House to Richard Nixon, another bellicose bigot who first became famous by sliding by on Joseph McCarthy’s loathsome, opportunistic coat tails. After the 1970s (a decade characterized by relatively quiet and uninvolved U.S. foreign policy), America elected Ronald Reagan, who would remind us that we still have the world’s most powerful military. The fact is, Americans as a population will go along with your hate up to a certain point. Killing an unarmed black guy for selling cigarettes is one thing. Destroying migrant families, largely took place in isolation, so that works too. But when America looks at itself in the mirror and sees a 1930s Munich beer hall putsch it suddenly remembers that we have a Constitution. There is no shortage of bigotry-inspired loathing in the United States of Me, Me, Me and Not You. But, making this country appear like the tyrannies we’ve fought in the past, well, that is quite another.

More later. I need to make dinner.

Apolitically Speaking: the Concept of a M*A*S*H Reboot

This TV show originally dropped when I was in first grade and it ended when I was a junior in high school. I started watching it regularly when it was in syndication and I watched the 1983 finale, along with enough viewers to make it the most watched scripted television broadcast in history for the next 25 years.

I still watch it now, since it is so easily streamed on Hulu. I watch it mainly because it makes me feel good prior to sleeping. I guess it comforts me, like there is one place in the world that is still clever, hates war, and realizes that we are largely powerless against forces that belittle us all.

I see its many flaws: Its often outdated, WWII generation comedy, its weak, though significant attempt at 1970s diversity, the appalling sexism of its first few seasons, the sometimes infuriating self-satisfaction that the show developed regarding the nobility of the 4077 staff and their mission, the fact that there were only two episodes that focused on the nurses (aside from Margaret Houlihan), and the intolerable sanctimony of Hawkeye Pierce.

Yet, the show was astoundingly ahead of its time in several ways. I joked about it’s diversity. But at a time when riots were happening across the country, triggered by court-ordered bussing, portraying a white doctor Trapper John (Wayne Rogers) cozily dancing with a black nurse (Ginger Bayliss, played by Odessa Cleveland) was a bloody huge deal. This was only a few years after Dr. King’s assassination as well as the police assassination of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. And the assassination of Medger Evers. And the Klan’s 16th street church bombing. And the Pettis Bridge battle. And the Klan murder of the three civil rights workers. Etcetera. There was also a sub story about them straightening out a wounded white bigot who was afraid of receiving “darkie blood,” which was even more ground breaking (and included Ms. Cleveland as well). A later episode had a story about white commander who resented the desegregation of the military, which was also effectively confronted (“And the Tooth Shall Set You Free”).

In an early episode (entitled “George”) the eponymous, homosexual soldier confided in Hawkeye that he was gay and had been beaten by his fellow grunts when they found this out. Hawkeye and Trapper worked to keep the uptight, odious Frank Burns from ruining George’s life with a dishonorable discharge. This empathetic reaction was simply not done in 1970s TV, or if homosexuality was addressed it was invariably portrayed as pathological.

I commented earlier about MASH’s rampant sexism. In early episodes, Margaret was routinely addressed as “Hot Lips,” (a holdover from the much more misogynistic M.A.S.H movie), was often derided for her seemingly masculine leadership qualities, and was frequently portrayed as desperately needing her sniveling, married lover Frank Burns. In later episode, Margaret Houlihan got married (ridding herself of Frank Burns) then divorced, and then triumphantly asserted herself as an independent career woman. This was at the same time that my mother was occasionally confronted by college professors who scorned a middle aged woman’s desire to earn a B.S.. At this time Anti-feminists like Phyillis Schlafly and Anita Bryant intoned that the only proper place for women was as an appendage to their husbands. It is significant, though, that a necessary step in the evolution of Margaret’s character was when actress Loretta Swit took a hiatus during the forth season and acted on Broadway. Producers agreed to allow her character to develop in order to persuade her to return. https://outsider.com/entertainment/mash-one-actor-fought-character-change-took-brief-hiatus-because-it/

There was still another episode (“Inga”) in which ladies’ man Hawkeye was faced with his own sexism by a quietly competent female surgeon. There was yet another episode (“Taking the Fifth”) when Hawkeye, still filled with his oversized male ego offered to share a bottle of wine with any one of the (all female) nursing staff who wanted to spend a romantic evening with him. The nurses answered with an amusing practical joke that turned Hawkeye’s sexist objectification on its head. Except for All in the Family, these kinds of issues were seldom if ever addressed in 1970s TV.

What would a new incarnation of MASH look like? First of all, it absolutely must have hour long episodes. Trying to squeeze an anti-war comedy into 25 minutes means that the show has to lean on well-meaning platitudes to deal with the emotionally complicated and usually revolting issues of war, pain, injury, homesickness, and bigotry. Second, the nurses have to be named characters with significant lives apart from assisting surgery, post-op, and sex scenes. Stories should focus on them, as well as the doctors, and the war itself . With that in mind, as well as what I already said about diversity, there should also be stories about the KOREANS! The show is supposed to take place in Korea, but I see more Koreans on an average trip to a Skokie grocery store. Finally, the show really has to have some profanity. In my experience, few military actions take place with out at least a few “fucks” and “goddamns.” My apologies, Father Mulcahy.

It would also be improved if there was just enough army by-play to remind us that they really were in the service. There are countless scenes in the old show in which BJ, Hawk, and other regulars met higher ranking officers or even generals and they didn’t so much as touch their foreheads as a salute. True, when the show started, America was more anti-military than at any other time in my lifetime. But after a few years (certainly after the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan and his bellicose foreign policy, followed by the 1982 bombing of U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon) that attitude changed.

I need to add more to this, but it’s time to feed our pets.

Out here.

Not Exactly Shocked Over Here

For the 1000th time: Economic theory is just that. It is theory. As my macroeconomics professor once intoned, economists usually conceive people as little economic beings, maximizing their utility and doing little else. “Reality,” as another prof said, is a “special case.”

Globalization was a terrific theory. If it’s cheaper to manufacture in China, for example, with its starvation level wages, they should produce the widgets, ship them to wealthy countries, and the investor rakes in profits. The whole thing works brilliantly as long as (a) energy remains inexpensive and (b) we all get along. Once either (or both) of those factors are untrue, the whole system falls apart.

Gasoline’s price has retreated from its $5.016/gallon average high in June ( https://gasprices.aaa.com/ ), but there is no denying the psychological exclamation point that high created in the minds of importers, exporters, and manufacturers. In terms of world conflict, a major European war show no signs of ending soon, China is rehearsing the invasion of Taiwan it’s been threatening since 1949, the Baltic countries are arming in preparation for further Soviet (I mean Russian) adventures, and the U.S. is continuing its involvement in practically everybody’s affairs. This world has never exactly been a Montessori kindergarten, but it’s the worst I’ve seen it since the the Cold War.

With high energy prices and conflict galore, it appears that the oligarchs are picking up on reality: globalization was a pleasant practice for the elite wealthy, but it was never going to last. I’m pleased to note in the news today that the U.S. will soon be manufacturing the batteries for EVs.(https://www.barrons.com/articles/ev-batteries-america-51661540193 ) I hope this is a continuing trend. I look forward to America having functioning factories once again.

Me? I live in the United States of Oceania

With a rightist billionaire taking over CNN, and Florida and Texas trying to get rid of investment funds that don’t buy fossil fuel stock (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-25/esg-pros-say-republican-anti-woke-bashing-hurts-regular-savers ), western U.S. states crossing their arms like there is no water crisis, and red-state neighbors thinking they have a right to know why someone visited an abortion-legal state, it’s becoming quite obvious that just about every entity right of PBS is collectively creating its own version of reality. Since Republican “policies” (if you can use that term in referring toTrump’s collection of ignorant proclamations) are on the immoral side of so many issues, they must insist that only their 19th century understanding of the world is real.

Just for perspective, when the hippy left had influence during the 1960s, and long-haired draft dodgers were putting flowers in military police muzzles, the Democrats did NOT seek their endorsements. Abby Hoffman didn’t get a seat at the DNC table, and they certainly did not urge adherence to yippie policies (such as levitating the Pentagon).

Instead, when the far right’s hoodlums stick up their heads, the RNC embraces them as if they’re a savior’s return. Do you know who these people are? They’re the ones that burned the witches and Jews they thought were responsible for the 14th century Plague. They’re the ones who did the same thing during the 15th century Spanish Inquisition and the 17th century Salem Witch trials. They’re the ones who insisted that Africa-American slaves were exactly where God wanted them. They’re the ones who said that Native children would be better off in boarding schools. They’re the ones who said that lynch-mob justice is what Jesus would want. They’re the ones who said that every revolution was part of a world wide Communist plot, instead of people wanting to be free from oligarchs. They’re the ones who say that mentally ill people prefer to live on the streets rather than inside a building. They’re the ones who say that vaccines cause illness. They’re the ones who insist that there would be enough water if only the federal government didn’t tell the them the Colorado River has diminished to a trickle.

(Sigh) They’re the ones who would rather believe a that a life-long grifter won an election he lost, even though they have not presented evidence of voter fraud in the nearly two years since the 2020 election. In their reality, that same life-long grifter stole multiple boxes of government documents (including several labeled “top secret”) from the White House so that he could write his memoirs (among his half-dozen or so differing explanations). Remember? He’s the same guy who has never typed anything longer than 280 characters.

Those who control the past, control the present. Those who control the present, control the future. Hey, that would make a great philosophy for a form a government that worships power! If only George Orwell would write a book about it.