Age of Consent

The other night, without the kind of good information that ruins discussions, my family enjoyed a vigorous evaluation of the age of consent.  Later I put together several facts.

In California the age at which a young person can legally enjoy sex is 18; no exceptions are allowed. The rationale, I suppose, is that people under 18 lack the maturity to avoid manipulation and make wise choices. After 18, good luck. 

I live in California and the law reflects my own beliefs. But I once earned a degree in sociology and anthropology at UCLA. I learned that different cultures create different rules. 

In 25 American states the age of consent is 16. In six countries, including China and Germany, the age of consent is 14. In Japan it is 13. 

 In France, in 1776, the age of consent was 12. In Virginia it was 10.

Music

When I was in the seventh grade at Benjamin Franklin Junior High, our teacher taught a class of working-class kids how to make paper.  We visited a newspaper printing press. We studied the form of the sonata.

I've forgotten her name, the teacher.

I went on to enjoy the Weavers, Les Paul and Mary Ford, the Beatles, Joe Cocker, Leonard Cohen, Credence.  Now I am 91, and every day I watch classical music on YouTube.

See? You never know.

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Hormuz

How suicidal is the GOP?

Our elected president, a crumbling, blaspheming oaf, incapable of learning, has lost the Iran war. Maybe he can string the losing out for the rest of his term, using a half-assed blockade or whatever else comes to him at 3 AM. He will insist that he is winning. He creates his own reality 21 hours a day and sleeps three.

Meanwhile the American military weakens. Recruitment has fallen off. Officers are not re-enlisting. Ammo is dwindling. 

The Democrats, with little to offer, are likely to flood into office in the next election. Maybe an aggressive leader with plans will emerge. At least the Democrats will attempt to modulate Trump's bloody lunacy. 

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Trump's Best Play

Suppose, counterfactually, that Donald Trump had a brain. In that case his best move might be to block the Hormuz Strait and grip the Iranian and world economies by the throat. Instead he is trying to open the strait.

 A few hours later--I see that Trump has adopted this tactic! He is blocking the strait. Next: Why don't China and Indonesia also put up blocks? They have large navies. 

Trump's Last Move

All his life our delusional president has had only two cards to play when in trouble. He doubles down or he blames someone else. 

Having lost a war, he can't double down. Few will listen to a threat to nuke two or four civilizations, even if one of them is his own.

That leaves blaming somebody else, the designated loser, J. D. Vance, now on his way to negotiate with crackpot murderous fanatics. Vance's job is to conclude the wonderful deal Trump has negotiated with himself to mark his victory.  

Needless to say, this "wonderful deal" is a figment of Trump's madness. And J. D. will get what he deserves. 

Betts and Jaquez

I somewhat made up for being the first person in my family to graduate from college by sampling the University of Colorado, Los Angeles Harbor Junior College, UCLA, Long Beach State and SUNY Buffalo. 

My loyalty ended up with UCLA, where I met my wife and graduated, and she and I have been following the UCLA women's basketball team. This weekend the young Bruins won their first national title, defeating a powerful South Carolina team by 79-51. 

Six players on the UCLA team are projected to be first round picks in the professional league.  Among them is Lauren Betts, a skilled and overpowering center on defense and offense. The other five seem to me to be highly skilled and intelligent, but I'm no judge. My favorite has been Gabriela Jaquez, who scored 21 points in the final game, along with ten rebounds and five assists.  

I think I picked Jaquez as my favorite four years ago because her older brother had once led the UCLA men.  He is currently an excellent professional player someplace back east. 

Who knows why we decide to follow a team? As a general rule I support those who support me, which would rule out sports teams. But not quite. 

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What Goes Around

 One two three, what are we fightin' for?

Don't ask me--I don't give a damn,

The next stop is Tehran. 

--Country Joe

"Smart people don't like me."

 

Watched a film of Trump saying, "Smart people don't like me." He knows he is stupid. He can't grasp what advisors tell him, so he makes a virtue out of acting on impulse. But people don't dislike him because he is stupid. He openly radiates evil.  

Crying

Trump is a crybaby. He's a three-year-old crybaby with his finger on the nuclear bomb.

 Seen on No Kings Day: Eggs are expensive, because chickens were elected to congress.