Columns

Thank You For Your Service

I'm so proud of my son. I just received word that he has enlisted in the battle to defend America's freedom.

It's sobering to learn that your only child is willing to risk his life to protect democracy here at home. That's why I salute his decision.

He won't be flying overseas to shoot and kill strangers in a foreign country, however. He's chosen to serve as a real freedom fighter—right here in the USA.

He's signed up for duty as a poll worker in our November election.

How Kamala's Plan Could Accelerate the Vote 

Senator Elizabeth "I Have a Plan for That" Warren must be blue-with-envy. Warren's fellow senator and VP Candidate Kamala Harris has introduced the VoteSafe Act, a senate bill that would dedicate $5 billion to revolutionizing the voting process. With millions of Americans fearing exposure to the Covid-19 virus, one of Kamala's Cures could really speed the turn-out in November. According to supporters: "Kamala Harris has a GAME-CHANGING plan to keep Americans safe while they vote this November… DRIVE THROUGH VOTING!! . . . This wouldn't just protect millions of voters from unnecessary danger but would SAVE the 2020 Election." 

As Rolling Stone explained, "curbside voting" would permit voters to drive to outdoor polling stations and "complete ballots safely in their cars while maintaining physical isolation." 

Getting Out the Vote 

The Sierra Club is one of many organizations encouraging volunteers to write letters and make phone calls to increase the turnout in November's critical vote. The Club plans to contact more than 250,000 potential voters in a single 10-day phone-athon. If you would like to know what's involved, here a video tutorial. 

How Do You "Contain" a Fire? 

As scores of scorching wildfires ravage millions of acres, I found myself wondering: What does "contained" mean and how do you measure the percentage of fire control? It turns out, "contained" actually means: "surrounded." So "50% contained" would apply equally whether a fire half-surrounded by fire-breaks covered one acre or 100 acres. So it looks like a 1500-acre fire that's 95% "contained" would be more scorched than a 15-acre fire that's 5% contained. 

It Hurts to Laugh 

It's a burden trying to abide in these abysmal times.  

The world is so filled with smoke, ashes, and virus that I actually feel guilty if I say something that prompts a chuckle. 

It's no longer safe to laugh out loud these days.  

We must remember to don a mask if we dare to giggle. 

We may need to learn not to chortle in public. 

At least it's still safe to share an occasional socially distanced grin. 

What Were They Thinking? 

A Chronicle ad placed by the San Francisco Department of Public Health posted a simple message: "I Wear a Mask So That We Can Go Out Again." But the graphic—a simple outline of a facemask—was pasted on top of a photo of a packed, nighttime concert with revelers packed shoulder to shoulder and waving their arms in the air. No one appeared to be wearing a protective facemask. Que pasa, sf.gov/coronavirus? 

Have a Cow, Man 

There's a new kind of "comfort animal" trending worldwide—and the airline industry has cause to worry. (Maybe that should read: "Cows to worry.") Yep, in some parts of the planet, the therapy-animals-of-choice are not cats or mutts, parrots or rabbits but . . .cattle! 

According to Sanne and Evelien, two adventurers who jetted to The Netherlands for a first-hand encounter with cross-species "cowmmunication," the first thing you look for a cow that is lying down but not busy ruminating (aka "cud-chewing"). Non-ruminators are "most receptive to relaxing together.” Once you've chosen your cow, slowly approach the animal's face, take a knee and offer your hand "so it can sniff you, by way of becoming acquainted. If the cow is accepting, you can go ahead and start petting and massaging its head.” 

Those who have experienced cow-cuddling claim there's nothing that brings greater bliss than sharing a hug with a divine bovine. 

(One disappointment: cows do not purr.) 

A War of Words in the Cause of Peace 

Another example of how militarism has infiltrated our vocabulary arrived in the form of a campaign statement from former astronaut Mark Kelly, now running as a Democrat to replace Republican Martha McSally as the next Senator from Arizona. Kelly is also a gun-control activist, working hand-in-hand with his wife, former congresswomen Gabby Giffords, who was seriously injured by a gun-wielding terrorist in 2011. As a co-founder of Giffords PAC, "a gun control organization for gun owners," Captain Kelly believes there is such a thing as "responsible gun ownership." (This is sometimes hard to imagine, given that gun deaths in the US are 25 times greater than in any other "high-income nation.") 

Kelly's four-page letter is filled with solid arguments and sincere calls for improved legislation. But it also is filled with a surprising number of ballistic words and phrases. For example (emphasis added): 

• "We… targeted Members of Congress who betrayed their constituents by … cozying up to the gun lobby's money…, and we beat them." 

• "We will fight back against the corporate gun lobby." 

• "We sent an unmistakable signal: We are here to fight." 

• "We will not relent in a single fight …. 

• "We will engage in legislative battles…. 

Help with Your Personal Problems 

I loved a self-effacing ad that recently appeared in The East Bay Express. A local doctor with 50 years of experience placed a notice offering to relieve "Anxiety, Depression and Relational Repair." The terms of the treatment—unusually low-key and reserved—read as follows: "without meds or guarantee, but I'll do my best." And the financial terms were very humane: "If you are broke, no fee, or pay me later. Otherwise, a sliding scale fee." 

Covid-19 Driving a News-Hive Nosedive 

The Daily Kos notes how the pandemic is accelerating the Demise of Independent Journalism: "As Big Tech giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google sucked up nearly 70% of digital advertising revenue, layoffs were already commonplace at news media outlets, with 7,800 jobs lost in 2019. Starting from such shaky ground, it isn't surprising that after the coronavirus spread around the globe over 700 media companies either shut down completely or instituted cutbacks in order to survive, including layoffs, furloughs and salary reductions. In total, tens of thousands of news media jobs have been lost." So let's try to write a few checks to our favorite besieged progressive news providers. 

Shooting Your Way Out of a Firestorm? 

A Chronicle story about Californians trapped inside advancing firestorms began with the harrowing tale of Butte County resident Michael Mattison. "The house was already in flames as he grabbed his partner, Mikaela Smith, his three dogs, his pet cockatoo, Kazar—and a pistol." 

I paused at that line and wondered: is this some Second Amendment fundamentalist who doesn't feel secure without a firearm? No. The motive was grimmer, as Mattison explained to the Chron. "I was going to shoot everybody and myself, so we didn't have to go through the pain of burning up." 

And then it got worse. I found myself thinking: "What if he had children?" Are parents in 21^st century USA now going to be faced with the decision whether or not to shoot their children to spare them from the "greater horror" of being burned alive? That thought will keep me up tonight. 

Apparently, this the kind of dystopian, extreme-weather world we're living in now. Mad Max to the max. 

Today's Refugees Might Sympathize  

The September 11 edition of the New York Times published an article by Keren Blankfeld entitled "The Secret History of America's Only WWII Refugee Camp." The piece contained the following, jarring observation: 

"On Aug. 5, 1944, nearly a thousand Jewish refugees from Europe arrived in upstate New York at the invitation of President Roosevelt. It was supposed to be the first of many relief camps. It turned out to be the only one. . . . “All we saw was a barbed-wire fence and American soldiers,” said Ben Alalouf, who arrived at the converted military base as a four-year-old. “Everyone thought it was a concentration camp.” 

At least, the children weren't separated from their parents, they didn't have to sleep on the floor, and they didn't have to deal with Covid-19. 

Time for a Weather Map Revolution 

One of the reasons the US is such a dangerous actor on the world stage is "American Exceptionalism"—our sense of uniqueness-squared. We are "the richest/most powerful country in the world" (even though millions of Americans lack homes, jobs, and medical care and one in every four American kids goes to bed hungry). 

But have you noticed that American Exceptionalism also extends to weather maps? 

Every day, people across the USA are looking at weather maps that are obvious frauds. I'm talking about the maps that display weather as happening only inside US borders. No clouds over Canada or Mexico. Migrating weather patterns magically stop at our borders—as if blocked by a Big Invisible Meteorological Wall. A quick, global search of TV weather forecasts suggests this doesn't happen with weathermaps in Canada or Mexico—nor, for that matter, in Europe, Asia, South America or Africa. 

But it does happen regularly on The Weather Channel. 

Maybe it's time to tear down these TV Weather Walls and accept that we share jet-streams, hurricanes, and rising tides with the rest of the world. 

https://www.greenskychaser.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/acttemp_600x405.jpg 

And it's Time for Weathercasts to Mention 'Climate Change' 

Have you noticed that TV weather forecasters in the US get all hot-and-bothered by the latest record-breaking droughts, hurricanes, floods, and wildfire but remain subdued and silent when it comes to using the phrase "human-caused, pollution-stoked climate change"? The London Guardian has just published a report revealing that only "15% of broadcast news segments over a September weekend" dared to link the unprecedented US weather events to the planet's unprecedented levels of global-warming gases. 

Citing a study by Media Matters, the Guardian reported that only 4% of the extensive TV news coverage of catastrophic firestorms on the West Coast bothered to mention the climate crisis. Media Matters found that marked the third year in a row where the climate crisis was mentioned in less than 5% of the broadcast wildfire reports. Media Matters did salute two network weatherfolk who stood out from the cowed crowd: CBS meteorologist and climate specialist Jeff Berardelli and NBC’s Al Roker.  

And a here's special salute to Gov. Gav. During his recent California wildfire photo-op, D. Trump refused to utter the phrase but Newsom nailed the cause and hammered the point home, telling Trump to his face: "It's self-evident: Climate change is real." 

Memorable Quotes 

Throughout our country’s history, presidents have had a lot to say about leadership and responsibility.  

George Washington:
“99% of failures come from people who make excuses.” 

John Quincy Adams:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader.”
Abraham Lincoln:
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Harry S. Truman:
“The buck stops here.”
John F. Kennedy:
“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Gerald Ford:
“Our long national nightmare is over.”
Barack Obama:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
And here's Donald Trump appraising his response to the Covid-19 pandemic (with 6 million infected, 196,000 dead, and tens of millions facing financial ruin):
“The virus has nothing to do with me. It’s not my fault.”
If You Love This Country, Vote