The Good German

Years ago I volunteered to help immigrants learn English, which is how I met part of a Mexican American family. The mother and father became American citizens. Their two sons were born here in Santa Rosa.

The parents work like sled dogs. They now own their own house. 

The older son has been through the local school system, earned excellent grades and played better soccer. He's now enrolled at the junior college, taking classes to qualify as a fire fighter. He works part-time at Home Depot. 

ICE is now raiding Home Depots and arresting everyone Hispanic. So this young man with brown skin may be grabbed by four or five large Ice agents, who will beat him to the ground, mace him, cuff him, beat him again and then throw his body into a van and disappear him.  He will be charged with attacking an ICE official. 

That happens every day now. 

Because the young man actually is a citizen, he might be let go after a month or two.  

I'm really thinking about myself, though. I'm old and blue-eyed, safe enough. Safe as a good German in Hitler's era. 

King Donald's War

 I woke from my nap to the news that King Donald the Draft Dodger had bombed Iraq or Iran or Ireland, one of those countries staffed with foreigners. Congress did not authorize a war, but kings do as they please. 

Netanyahu has made Israel a pariah state, and America's presidents, Biden and Trump, have followed him into infamy, dragging us in their wake. 

Maybe this is a joke.

"The leaders of Iran, Israel and the United States walk into a bar. . . ."

Against The Law

The L.A. Dodgers recently refused to let ICE enter the parking lot at Dodger Stadium. 

If we want to keep our partly-representative government, we must be a giant movement that will not obey. Like the Dodgers, we have to act, to disobey. 

To oppose disrespect and brutality, I might have to test minor laws and, if necessary, take the penalty. 

A king is only a king when you obey him. 

 

Someone Large

Democrats--I speak as an independent--might want to learn more about the Americans who vote intermittently. About 20% of our people vote only in presidential elections. They skip most chances to participate in politics. 

These people tend to be low-information and low interest voters.   

Bigger turnouts in presidential elections used to favor Democrats. In 1940 the Democrats got their fair share of swing voters, including racists. But after Nixon's southern strategy, most of the cognitively-impaired Democrats shifted to the Republican Party. Today a big  turnout of intermittent voters helps Republicans in swing states.  That is fact.

That is how Trump won. Fact: he took the intermittent voters in swing states.

Also, in the last election immigrants (underprepared new citizens) favored Trump. 

In selecting their next candidates and platform, the Democrats might want to consider exactly how they can win the votes of immigrants, young white males and voters with cognitive deficits. Winning these votes cannot be achieved with issues. Uninterested people do not care about issues. Their votes spring from primitive urges. 

When I was in basic training, the sergeant had to pick a leader for our squad. He chose the largest recruit in the room, a quiet young man with no  interest or skill in leading.

That isn't news. Swing voters nearly always choose the candidate with the most height and roundest belly. So, Democrats, nominate a winner. 

War

As you know, last week Israel attacked Iran, starting a war. 

I believe in self-defense, which is why I volunteered to serve in the American army (long ago, before Vietnam). I oppose wars of aggression, where one nation attacks another. For me (and the UN Charter) that is a basic principle.

What struck me today is the way MSNBC has responded. This morning I watched a series of experts brought on to discuss the war; every one of them strongly supported starting the new war in which hundreds have already been killed. 

Maybe this afternoon MSNBC will try to do the right thing.  Or maybe not. 

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The System

When millions of Americans went into the streets to protest against our current leaders and system, the national media were unimpressed. The media gave the protests a minute or two this morning, but their focus was on five other things.

The national media are part of the problem, part of a system that restricts attention to a few Ivy Leaguers in Washington and New York. In their view, the rest of the nation consists of white trash and worse. If everyone in Eugene went on a hunger strike and died, the national media might not notice. 

Many Americans are fed up with the Namby Pamby Party and the Raving Looney Party, but those sharing power aren't listening. 

In Old L.A.

El Supremo, our dictator, was troubled by news about his breakup with fellow fascist Elon Musk and by the trouble his budget bill was having. 

About 600 people in Los Angeles demonstrated against ICE. About 1200 police officers responded, but El Supremo saw his chance to change the subject. He sent  in the National Guard and then the marines. What's next, NATO?

A Cheaper War

So far the United States has sent 31 extremely expensive Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Nine have been destroyed, ten have been abandoned (?) and one was captured. Eleven have been moved to places safe from Russia's $800 drones. 

Last week the Ukrainians used cheap drones and some missiles to take out about a third of Russia's two-billion-dollars-each bombers. 

The Ukraine war is almost a stalemate, with both sides relying on drones now to do the work. At the current rate, if nothing changes, experts predict Russia will conquer Ukraine in about 100 years. 

If Russia keeps the war going for 100 years, taking the usual casualties, Russia's population will drop from 146,000,000 to around 49,000,000. At that point I would expect Russia to be conquered by Moldavia.

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Watching Netanyahu talk on television

Watching Netanyahu talk on television, I see nothing sacred. 

"Nothing is sacred but the good."

Or Wittgenstein might say that who Netanyahu is will be conveyed in his practices. 

We understand, watching Netanyahu talk on television, killing children is not sacred.  Even someone too old to reason quickly understands that.

He's still talking. I watch Netanyahu talk and don't understand why he's there. Why him?

Why is a man who kills children talking on television?