Monthly Archives: July 2021

You Want the Truth?

I am always wary when someone says, “Power to THE people!”  I’ve learned they usually mean, “Power to MY people!”

Senator Joe Biden/September 1974

Biden was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Council of State Community Affairs Agencies in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  The topic was the consolidation of several legacy programs administered by the the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Instead, the monies would become state block grants allowing each jurisdiction to determine the allocation among a number of eligible uses (e.g. housing, sewer and water projects).  NOTE:  The proposal was shelved until the 1980s when block grants became a centerpiece of the Reagan administration’s domestic policy.

I start with this story because Biden’s words made me reassess my own understanding of the words “power” and “empowerment.”  Both now seemed more temporal and less absolute.  Power was good in the hands of people who agreed with my values and ideology.  Less so if held by those who did not.  From then on I was skeptical of any debate over the consolidation or decentralization of power.  It may be the reason why I hesitate to advocate eliminating the filibuster, though my skepticism is waning.  But that’s a topic for another day.

Bottom line?  Regardless of one’s view whether power is good or bad, the word itself confuses more than it clarifies.  Which brings me to today’s topic.  I now believe the word “truth” may be the root cause of the political and cultural divisions within the United States.  The proverbial phrase “absolute power corrupts absolutely” also applies to truth.

Jon HuerIn Jon Huer’s examination of academia titled Tenure for Socrates, the author explores the misconception facts and truth are one and the same.  He correctly points out facts are discovered; truths are created.  He offers the following as evidence.

Truth, if rejected, is found to be false.  Facts, if rejected, are to be incorrect…Truth is determined by the inquirer’s intention; facts by the inquirer’s outcome.

No truth has been changed by applying further knowledge.  Many a fact, however, has been discarded when proven incorrect.

Consider one of the most iconic exchanges in filmdom history, the court martial confrontation between  Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson) in A Few Good Men.

KAFFEE: Jessup, did you order the Code Red?
JESSUP: You want answers?
KAFFEE:  I want the truth!
JESSUP:  You can’t handle the truth!

Jessup then lays out HIS truth based on his personal values and experience.  “Son, we live in a world with walls that must be guarded.”  Does Kaffee challenge Jessup’s truth?  No!  He abandons the quest for truth in exchange for the facts.

KAFFEE: Did you order the Code Red?
JESSUP:  You’re goddamn right I did!

Even as Jessup is dragged out of the courtroom, he continues to justify his actions based on HIS truth.  As Charlton Heston might say, “Jessup will give up his truth when you pry it from his cold, dead hands.”

This fictional example helps explain why the misconception about facts and truths may also be at the heart of tribal divisiveness in the American body politic.  Consider the current debate over critical race theory (CRT).  The concept, introduced in the 1970s at Harvard Law School, posits centuries of institutional racism still have a lasting effect on the financial, legal and social status of minorities in the United States.  At the same time, some of the loudest CRT critics decry the reexamination of pre-Civil War America, including the demotion of confederate generals and political leaders from “heroes” to “seditionists.”  They argue, slavery was critical to half the fledgling country’s economy, without which the U.S. would not have become the commercial powerhouse it is today.  In other words, slavery was an unfortunate but necessary chapter in the nation’s history.

These seemingly conflicting views are not incompatible.  Both admit slavery and antecedent dependence on minority labor, often compensated below the levels of non-minority workers, exist.  That is a fact.   But one tribe’s “truth” is that years of incremental progress on issues of race have adequately addressed past sins.  The other tribe believes those injustices have not yet been reconciled.  And as Huer suggests, no new knowledge or data will loosen the hold those opposing truths have on either tribe.

In closing, let me paraphrase what I heard Joe Biden say 47 years ago.  “Be wary when someone says they are on a quest for THE truth.  What they mean is that they are seeking to affirm THEIR truth.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

 

Death Wish VI

 

Do you believe in Jesus? You’re gonna meet Him.

~Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey/Death Wish (1974)

The Uneasy Evolution of the "Death Wish" Series on Notebook | MUBIFor those unfamiliar with today’s title or the quote, Charles Bronson starred in the original Death Wish and four sequels spanning 24 years (1974-1998).  Not that we need a Paul Kersey to rid us of the modern RepubliQan party. (I wish I had come up with this new designation for the GOP, but saw it online over the weekend.)  It is so much easier when the offenders are willing to take themselves out of the gene pool, much less the electorate.  For evidence of these collective nominees for the Darwin Award 2021, look no farther than Nassau County, Florida where I live.  On Monday, July 12, the number of new COVID cases (214) exceeded the number of vaccine doses administered (212).

These numbers now appear representative of the state of Florida as a whole as well as virtually every state that voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.  The 22 states with the highest vaccination rates among those 12+ years of age cast their electoral votes for Joe Biden ranging from Vermont with 85.9 percent of residents receiving at least one dose to Wisconsin with 66.1 percent.  In contrast the lowest vaccination states range from Florida with 65.9 percent to Mississippi with 47.5 percent.  All were in the 2020 “RED” column with the exception of the battleground states of Michigan and Arizona.  (Source: Mayo Clinic Vaccine Tracker)

Yet this is only the latest iteration of the Trump cultists’ death wish.  As the coronavirus spread across the country, they gladly attended spreader events masquerading as Trump campaign rallies, a biker conclave in Sturgis, South Dakota and celebrations on the south lawn of the White House.  According to multiple reports including a Stanford University Study, over 30,000 COVID cases and 700 plus related deaths were attributed to attendance at one or more Trump rallies during the 2020 campaign.

Just as the pandemic began to subside, the Trumpists found another path to thin their ranks.  This time it was a death wish in support of the “big lie.”  In December, the Arizona Republican Party retweeted a post by right-wing activist Ali Alexander in which Alexander said he was “willing to give up my life for this fight.”  The state GOP added but later deleted, “He is.  Are you?”  Seems the party’s social media coordinator never got the parental warning, “Just because your friend jumps off a bridge, doesn’t mean you have to follow him.”

And, of course, absent the restraint of the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police, many of the January 6th insurrectionists might have realized their death wish.  In what may be the first recorded case of lemmings leading more lemmings, the ringleaders of the insurrection were not satisfied with endangering themselves.  They encouraged others to join their ill-advised crusade.

Take the case of 18 year old Bruno Cua of Milton, Georgia.  Cua was arrested for having breached the Senate chamber.  When warned by another invader sitting in the vice-president’s chair might be “too much,” he asked, “They can steal an election, but we can’t sit in their chairs?”  As evidence of his state of mind before traveling to Washington on January 6th, prosecutors pointed to social media posts in which Cua says he was genuinely inspired by Trump and intent on use of violence to overturn the election.

In a February 25, 2021 defense motion, Cua’s lawyers made the following arguments.

(Our client) is an impressionable 18-year-old kid who was in the middle of finishing his online coursework to graduate from high school when he was arrested.

In many ways, he is less of an ‘adult’ than many teenagers.  He has never lived away from his parents. He has lived his entire life in the area immediately surrounding Atlanta.

In other words, ignorance is not only bliss, it is also a legal defense for January 6th insurrectionists.  [NOTE:  The legalese in the second paragraph can be translated as follows:  “less of an adult than many teenagers” = has the social skills of a 12 year old, “never lived away from his parents” = momma’s boy, and “lived his entire life in the area immediately surrounding Atlanta” = is a flat earth conspiracy theorist afraid of falling off the edge.]

It seems as though members of the RepubliQan Party now follow a mantra that can only be described as the antithesis of John 3:16.  “For Trump so loved himself, that his followers are willing to give their lives (and those of impressionable young people like Bruno Cua), that Trump should not vanish but have eternal political life.”

LATE BREAKING NEWS

Brett Kelman/Nashville Tennessean/July 13, 2021, 8:42 PM

The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.

The health department will also stop all COVID-19 vaccine events on school property, despite holding at least one such event this month.

They may not need another Paul Kersey, but Tennesseans would surely benefit from a reincarnation of John Thomas Scopes to point out Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, who ordered the policy changes, is proof that some residents of the Volunteer State remain at the low end of the evolutionary scale.

EVEN LATER BREAKING NEWS

Ann E. Marimow/Washington Post/July 13, 2021, 8:53 PM

In a somewhat related story, a federal appeals court ruled “the existing minimum age requirement for purchases from federally licensed gun dealers restricts the rights of law-abiding citizens and draws an arbitrary, unjustified line.”  In the majority opinion, Judge Julius Richardson writes:

Despite the weighty interest in reducing crime and violence, we refuse to relegate either the Second Amendment or 18-to-20-year-olds to a second-class status.

In Tennessee, I guess high school students can “bear arms” to protect themselves from imagined threats, but not “bare arms” for vaccinations to protect themselves from a real threat that has already killed over 600,000 Americans.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

People Don’t Listen

 

Careful the things you say.
Children will listen.

~Stephen Sondheim/Into the Woods

Too bad the same warning does not apply to adults.  For example, did purveyors of the “big lie” think their constant exhortations to “stop the steal” would not incite an insurrection?  But what I find more disconcerting is adults often do not listen to themselves.

Yesterday, I ran across a prime example in our local newspaper.  Rick Keffer, a prominent businessman and philanthropist in our community, writes a periodic column in which he shares facts and data on a broad range of topics.  For example, having owned the local Chrysler/Jeep dealership before retiring, he would share trade association numbers about automobile production and sales.   I got to know Rick, having served with him on scholarship selection committees and other community efforts.  Every community needs more Rick Keffers.

I forgot to mention Rick is a Republican.  Though we have never had private conversations about politics, I am pretty sure he approves of small government, the last three Supreme Court appointments and the 2017 tax cuts.  His January 8, 2021 column, in anticipation of Joe Biden’s inauguration, was titled, “A Conservative’s Wish List.”   The column was also evidence Rick passed my litmus test, accepting Biden’s win in the 2020 election although he was concerned the 45th president’s agenda was too far to the left for his tastes.

Which brings me to the reason for today’s post.  Keffer’s most recent column is titled, “Happiness and Population.”  He shares his fascination “with the Scandinavian countries and have visited a few briefly.”  He then draws on the March issue of Forbes which included an article, “The 20 Happiest Countries in the World in 2021,” based on the latest “World Happiness Report.”  Among the top ten are Finland (#1), Denmark (#2), Norway (#5), the Netherlands (#6) and Sweden (#7).  For the record, the United States comes in at #18.

He first notes these countries’ populations range from 10.1 million citizens (Sweden) to 5.4 million (Norway).  One would think a life-long member of the GOP would take this opportunity to make the case this proves that “big is bad,” especially big government, although I suspect he valued his association with the Big Three automakers and his stock portfolio includes investment in mega banks, oil companies and tech companies.  But he does not, and that is why I regularly read his column.  Rather than rely on a statistical correlation, he asks the obvious question, “Why are these people so darned happy?”

From what he learned during his travels he suggests the following keys to the quality of life enjoyed by Scandinavian residents.

  1. Nature belongs to everyone.  Everyone is allowed to “roam freely in all natural areas, even private property.”
  2. They are minimalist and recycle as much as they can.  Not waste, but used items.  Rick points to the Finns who hold a “Cleaning Day,” best described as a national yard sale.
  3. A philosophy based on the principle it is never too early to start working on happiness.  This includes community baskets of clothing and other items for every newborn, affordable day care and tax-funded education through university level.
  4. Public revenue is 20 percent of personal income.  The United States is currently at 14 percent.  Rick states the same 20 percent standard “would have balanced the 2019 budget.”
  5. They are humble, “reluctant to put a polished view of their life on social media or brag about success and wealth.”

Rick concludes, “I have no plans to leave my home on Amelia Island for Scandinavia or anywhere else, but it is interesting to see what makes people tick.”

My question to Rick, “Then why on earth would you not want Americans to be just as happy?”  As sportscaster Warner Wolf would say, “Let’s go to the video tape.”

  1. Access to nature is good, but you supported an administration which reduced the amount of public lands, leased public lands to private companies and eased environmental protections which decreased the habitability of natural assets.
  2. Changing attitudes and behavior related to material assets would be both difficult and even devastating for an economy driven by consumption of goods.  But the increase in savings rate in the U.S. during the pandemic suggests  many of us can survive without things we might want but do not necessarily need.  Maybe it is time to pass a few of those along to those who could use them.
  3. Affordable child care and education funding through university level contribute to happiness?  Thank you Rick for making one of the best arguments yet in support of the Biden human infrastructure program.  Will you now urge our two senators and Congressman Rutherford to support a negotiated version of the plan instead of “just saying no?”
  4. Since you suggest Americans are under taxed, are you ready to support repeal of the 2017 tax cuts, especially in light of the 130 countries that have agreed to a minimum global tax which counters the original “my tax rate is lower than your tax rate” justification for the corporate tax cuts.
  5. And you were okay with the least humble individual in America for four years. If “it ain’t bragging if it’s true,” what do you call it when such bluster is not bona fide?

Bottom line, an increasing number of the GOP leadership and right-wing media call the very things you describe as contributing to happiness to be radical, socialism and even communism.   They claim such government interference will destroy America.  You cannot have it both ways, which is why well-intentioned individuals like Rick Keffer remind me of another Sondheim musical Company.  And in particular, the song, “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

 

A Litmus Test

 

Paper stained with litmus which is used to indicate the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. Blue litmus paper turns red under acid conditions, and red litmus paper turns blue under alkaline conditions.

~Definition of Litmus Paper/DICTIONARY.COM

In politics, the term “litmus test” generally applies to something that has nothing to do with acidity, level of acid in a substance, or alkalinity, the capacity of water to resist acidification. It refers to a candidate’s or appointee’s allegiance to one side of a contested issue, an example being whether a nominee for Supreme Court justice is pro-life or pro-choice. Since 1980, the litmus test for one’s fitness for office, elected or appointed, is often judged on ideology or party affiliation. In 2015, we were introduced to a new kind of litmus test, fidelity to a single individual.

I am generally opposed to litmus tests, largely due to my belief in Miles’ Law, “Where you stand depends on where you sit.”  The most recent example being Joe Biden.  His positions on certain issues have changed as he navigated a career path which included U.S. senator, presidential candidate and now occupant of the Oval Office.  Same for Kamala Harris.  No one should expect a district attorney or state attorney general to maintain the same world view as a U.S. senator.

Acids, bases and salts - Acids, bases and salts - (CCEA) - GCSE Combined  Science Revision - CCEA Double Award - BBC BitesizeYet, there are exceptions to every rule.  And the 2022 and 2024 elections seem ripe for that exception.  And serendipitously, the literal definition of litmus paper seems more appropriate than ever.  Why?  As would litmus paper react chemically, the GOP is pouring acid into the electoral waters in hopes of turning Congress and the White House from BLUE to RED.  In contrast, Democrats are hoping there is enough voter push back to resist this attempt at acidification of the body politic.

For dyed in the wool Democrats, the blue/red litmus test is party affiliation.  “Vote blue, no matter who!”  But what about independents and disenchanted Republicans?  Or if you live in a gerrymandered district where the chance of a Democrat winning a congressional race is not even slim.  It is non-existent.  Here is a litmus test that will guide my choices in election cycles for the foreseeable future.  Is a candidate, regardless of party or ideology, willing to say to voters, “Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square.  There is NO evidence of fraud.  And to say otherwise is an affront to the principles of which this country was founded, the Constitution and democracy.”

I do not care if a candidate is the second coming of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer.  Or if he or she supports every policy or program I personally favor.  Perpetuation of the big lie trumps (pun intended) everything.  Without allegiance to the democratic process and the peaceful transfer of power, essential cornerstones of Madisonian self-governance, nothing else matters.

So, when someone you least expect says to me, “Ron DeSantis is doing a pretty good job.  I might even vote for him,” I put aside all the rational policy arguments about the governor’s hypocritical centralization of power in Tallahassee or his desire for government to become thought police on college campuses.  I just remind that individual, as recent as June 17, DeSantis was asked whether he believes the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump.  His reply, “Florida did its job.”  How hard would it have been to say, “No.”  Even Marco Rubio was honest enough not to vote against certification of the electoral vote on January 6th.

The same cannot be said for our congressman John Rutherford.  To put an exclamation point on his disdain for democracy, Rutherford joined more than 100 of his GOP colleagues and signed an amicus brief in support of the law suit filed by the Texas attorney general to overturn the election results.  Another example of Miles’ Law.  While Jacksonville sheriff, Rutherford constantly preached about obedience to the law.  Not so much as U.S. representative and Trump toady.

As I have in the past, I will likely switch party affiliation prior to the 2022 primaries, especially if I am confident the candidates I support for the Democratic nominations for governor and senator are guaranteed winners.  Why?  Voting in the Republican primary gives me a choice.  There are already rumors of a Trump insurrectionist challenging Rubio for not being loyal enough to “dear leader.”  I would of course vote for the Democrat in the general election.  But should she lose, I would be more comfortable with a flawed Rubio than another Marjorie Taylor Greene.

From the opposite perspective, knowing I live in a congressional district with a 3:1 Republican advantage in registration, I will join with moderate, anti-Trump Republicans to help them rid the GOP of the cancer that has metastasized within their party.  However, the deal depends if, and only if, the Rutherford alternative confronts voters with the truth about 2020.

You may ask, “How does this keep the water from becoming toxic and turning the blue litmus paper red?”  Because there are multiple potential outcomes, all, with one exception, are better than the current situation.

  • The Democrat wins on the issues.
  • The Trump/Sedition coalition claims their candidate would have won the primary but for Democratic support for the opponent, in which case they sit this one out and the Democrat wins due to low GOP turnout.
  • The Sedition candidate wins the GOP primary and moderate Republicans and independents vote for the Democrat to again try and convince Republican leadership they need to jettison Trump and his extremist cult.
  • I end up being represented by a Republican who, at least, does not live in an alternative universe.

I only lose if I am wrong the sedition candidate cannot attract close to a majority of votes.  In which case I should probably trade in my litmus paper for toilet tissue because we will all be up Schitt’s Creek.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP