Mike 03
Mike 03's JournalI wish I could recall more. There was a lot of important discussion going on
just in general, not particularly just about Reagan, and I remember two large publishing events: The release of "The Cold and the Dark: The World After Nuclear War" and also Strobe Talbot's book "Deadly Gambits" (those were two of the first nonfiction hardcovers I ever owned). So in high school and then college I had classmates talk about Reagan causing a nuclear war, but these were not adult, serious discussions and I think we were repeating things adults were saying or were influenced by the thinking of other people because we went on with our educations and didn't spend that much time thinking about it as a reality. Maybe if we'd had been older it would have been another story. Maybe we came close and didn't know it.
My father was in the Naval Reserve or Army Reserve (?) during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was moved to "On Call" or "On Duty" status (I wish to God I had asked him more about this when he was alive--he did actually get transported somewhere, so it was probably more than just being "On Call" ) and he always said that he was scared shitless. That was according to him one of the scariest times of his life. Recalling that week he said, "I didn't know if I would ever see your mother again." The two historical things he never forgot were being called up during the Cuban Missile Crisis and being a reporter during the assassination of JFK.
I understand people who say, "We need to protect this senate seat" but my view
has changed dramatically over the last two months. Instead of protecting this one chess piece (Manchin, or Sinema) we really are going to lose most of our chess pieces if we don't really take command here. We won't get a second chance.
Maybe there's an analogy in war. Win the battle and lose the war?
Seriously, take what Adam Schiff said last night to heart. We'll be the next Hungary if we don't play very hard now.
The more and more I think about the Filibuster
the more I conclude there is nothing to be gained by keeping it.
Even the "Be careful what you wish for" argument doesn't really work for me, because we only have two or so (hopefully 4) years to prove that Democrats can lead, govern and create meaningful change for Americans. If we can't do that, we'll lose the next few elections anyway, and our chance to prove we are able to govern will be gone--Adam Schiff says it will be gone for ten years, but I say it could be gone forever.
The alternative is allow the Republicans to continue to make our country ungovernable.
Also, who here trusts the Republicans not to eliminate the Filibuster in two or four years when they have the opportunity?
They are pathological liars but patient strategists.
Yes, this has been on my mind the past few days.
I usually defend Senator Sinema but this has been bothering me more and more.
This morning I was trying to remember what Ezra Klein writes towards the end of his book Why We're Polarized about the filibuster. He's approaching our predicament very realistically, looking at it almost from the perspective of Game Theory, and I want to refresh my memory about what he said about this and send it to Sinema as part of an overall argument.
This feels like an important moment strategically, where if we don't do something dramatic history will look back on this time and say, "Democracy was lost right here" and it comes down to these two people. Hitler's rise to Chancellor was basically made possible by two people playing political Russian Roulette with Germany's future.
Not worried yet
Some investors like Jeremy Grantham have floated the idea that the COVID stimulus bill could over-inflate the stock market, and a few weeks ago there was a flurry of articles predicting a crash--but there are always articles predicting a crash, so I don't know what this hashtag specifically refers to.
We've been riding high for a long stretch, though. It's not out of the question we could see a correction.
There are also the virus variants to be aware of. They could conceivably cause serious problems globally.
EDIT:
I mean, if you're an investor, it's not a terrible thing to be a little bit worried about a dramatic correction. My financial advisor always reminds me: "One day you'll wake up and the market will be down 20%."
It's a matter of being well positioned, and keeping that possibility (or, really, eventuality) in mind.
That was the most important sentence I heard all day.
But he's being optimistic IMO.
If Republicans capture the legislative branch again, or the presidency and either the House or the Senate, they will change things so decisively that we never get another chance. The United States will be structured like Hungary or Poland. It really only takes moving a few pieces into place. And voter suppression does the rest.
All they really have to do is make this country ungovernable for 12 - 18 more months.
Damn these state legislatures! And Dems who vote "split tickets" for balance. (GO TO HELL!)
I love Adam Schiff for many reasons, but what he said last night was one of the most important things he's ever said.
You might look at how the recent controversies over Gaughan are being
handled.
It's not exactly the same, but the controversy is about how you handle a historically-highly-regarded artist about whom shocking revelations become known, and how you adjust or deal with the legacy going forward. I don't know if this is helpful, but it might give you some ideas.
Why Is the Art World Divided over Gauguin’s Legacy?
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-art-divided-gauguins-legacy
Is It Time Gauguin Got Canceled?
Museums are reassessing the legacy of an artist who had sex with teenage girls and called the Polynesian people he painted “savages.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/arts/design/gauguin-national-gallery-london.html
More than a century after his death, has the time finally come to cancel Gauguin?
From entering sexual relationships with young girls, to using his status as a westerner to exploit, Paul Gauguin is a controversial figure. So why do we keep making excuses, Farah Nayeri asks
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/paul-gauguin-national-gallery-me-too-art-harassment-assault-a9216801.html
‘Formal Analysis Cannot Occlude the Real Issues’: How Curators Are Addressing Gauguin’s Dark Side in a New Show at the National Gallery in London
Art museums are grappling with how to display great works by artists who abused their models.
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/gauguin-metoo-national-gallery-1672810
Sorry this reply is so late, but I just noticed your post.
Good luck with your book!
I think Biden should be very careful how he handles the MBS matters.
The more I learn about Saudi Arabia, the more I understand why this issue--seemingly simple--is actually so much more complicated than Russia, Myanmar or some other bad situations.
The key to peace in the Middle East rests on the shoulders of this arrogant, impulsive but not-yet-lost 35-year-old Crown Prince. It's really important Western Democracies don't drive him into the embrace of China, Russia or other dangerous influences.
He's like a delinquent kid that badly needs a mentor to save him from turning into a career-criminal.
MBS is a visionary, but a thin-skinned one with a penchant for idiotic and unnecessary self-destruction and, at least in a few instances, outright violence.
Tenet and The Dissident
I'm just finally getting back to watching movies after four years of really not seeing many.
The Dissident is the acclaimed documentary about the events surrounding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Chilling and powerful. Really gives you a sense of who Khashoggi was. Also, very well produced. I've seen critics say that it is too long, but for me it really flew by quickly.
Tenet is quite an amazing film. The first thing I knew when it was over is that I'd have to watch it again. It grapples with some fascinating ideas about theoretical physics and time travel. It is a race-against-time action film about an effort to prevent armageddon. It lacks the character development found in prior Christopher Nolan films but has some astonishing scenes. The plot is full of paradoxes--if you think too much about the science of Tenet you find your mind going round and round in circles trying to resolve unresolvable plot conflicts. But it's a wonderful diversion.
I streamed both on Amazon Prime--rented The Dissident but purchased Tenet.
Somewhat reminiscent of the Nikki Catsouras crash
18 year old "borrowed" her father's Porsche (without permission) while high on cocaine and crashed it at 100 MPH into a toll booth a few minutes later. She was instantly killed but did not take anyone else with her. Ghastly crash. Crime scene photos were leaked all over the internet. Family sued the leakers and won, but to this day--even with the help of Reputation Defender--they can't scrub the crash photos off the internet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Catsouras_photographs_controversy
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Modesto California
Home country: United States
Current location: Arizona
Member since: Mon Oct 27, 2008, 06:14 PM
Number of posts: 16,616
