Allan G. Hunter's Blog, page 10
November 22, 2020
Diary 248
Saturday, November 21st
The ex ‘president’ has been steadily losing credibility and law suits about the election, and seems to be staggering cluelessly towards the end of the year, and the end of his tenure. In Europe the United Kingdom is also staggering towards something it thinks could be a Brexit deal, perhaps. Both situations are the endings of very unfortunate beginnings – so called ‘populist’ votes that wound up being damaging to just about everyone. A few people probably made a fortune out of both situations, but they were people who already had huge fortunes.
Both countries have lost hugely in terms of world standing.
Four wasted years.
November 21, 2020
Diary 247
Friday, November 20th
The Georgia election was finally verified for Biden, while the ex ‘president’ met with Republican leaders from Michigan, trying to find ways to subvert the count. To subvert democracy. He’s ignored the now raging Covid pandemic, despite having had it himself, and despite the super spreader events at the White House, and despite his eldest son now being infected. It’s still all a ‘hoax’ I guess?
He’s also ignored the damage done to the economy. He, and his enablers, don’t seem to do much that’s constructive, do they? If any one set of people can be accused of subversion it would be those who caused the general public to lose faith in the governmental system, so fast, so completely.
November 20, 2020
Diary 246
Thursday, November 20th
In cold weather the grandchildren like to run out into the garden, and then back into the house, on multiple occasions. Each time this happens I have to remind them, “Shut the door and keep the heat in the house”.
I suppose that when you’re small, and doorhandles are too high to reach or too difficult to operate, one gets into the habit of having the doors opened, so the same adult person who does that gets to close them.
Yet today it occurred to me that by leaving doors open they are allowing for more possibilities – they can be out, they can run in again. I wonder how many doors I’ve closed to possibilities in my life because it seemed to be the proper thing to do.
November 19, 2020
Diary 245
Wednesday, November 19th
Rumors are flying about a former ‘presidential’ memoir that may be in the works, according to The Guardian. Publishers admit that such a book would ‘probably’ sell millions of copies, but they also admit that any such book would cause staff and editors to revolt en masse, and that it would stretch the resources of fact-checkers beyond all reasonable limits.
November 18, 2020
Diary 244
Tuesday, November 18th
Today brought the news that the effectiveness of various trial Covid vaccines was badly reduced because of chemicals we (in the West) almost all now have in our bodies. These compounds prevent vaccines from gaining full effectiveness. These are chemicals that are commonly used on clothes, non-stick pans and even pizza boxes.
Such man made chemicals are almost never encountered in Nature. We create things and we do not know what their lasting effects may be. We evolved over millions of years to face all kinds of threats, but not these.
Isn’t it time we re-thought a few basics? We can do this, and we need to start now. Biden’s plan for a climate initiative is the first step.
Diary 242
Tuesday, November 18th
Today brought the news that the effectiveness of various trial Covid vaccines was badly reduced because of chemicals we (in the West) almost all now have in our bodies. These compounds prevent vaccines from gaining full effectiveness. These are chemicals that are commonly used on clothes, non-stick pans and even pizza boxes.
Such man made chemicals are almost never encountered in Nature. We create things and we do not know what their lasting effects may be. We evolved over millions of years to face all kinds of threats, but not these.
Isn’t it time we re-thought a few basics? We can do this, and we need to start now. Biden’s plan for a climate initiative is the first step.
November 17, 2020
Diary 243
Monday, November 17th
In case we needed reminding, in 2018 The Economist listed the world’s nations, ranked according to strict criteria as to the condition of their democracy. The US did not make the top ten. It fell into the category of ‘flawed democracy’. It hasn’t exactly excelled itself since then. Let us take heed of how we are, rather than how we think we are, and let’s get to work.
November 16, 2020
Diary 242
Sunday, November 16th
As the ex-‘president’ holds on in the White House I cannot help but notice that the US is now regarded by many countries as being a lesser place than it was a few years ago. The nation that used to enforce ideas of democracy is becoming a sad parody of its own blared-out credo, and suddenly it’s not just the Emperor who has no clothes. With his refusal to accept election defeat we seem in some respects no better at democracy than some of the countries the ex-‘president’ called ‘shithole countries’.
The British are particularly aware of this, living as they do in a failing state, isolated, yelling about freedom from foreign interference (the EU) and so on. I think all of this is repairable, but like any repair, we’ll always be aware of how things got broken, and of the scars. This is not a time any of us will forget easily.
November 15, 2020
Diary 241
Saturday, November 15th
Another record number of Covid cases today, and in Washington a crowd estimated at a hundred thousand people came to wave flags, including confederate flags, claiming that the election was rigged, and Biden was not the winner.
Reading the interviews some of them gave to reporters is a puzzling experience. Some deny the policies that the former ‘president’ enacted (separation of families at the border for example); some consider the spat with China as beneficial to Hong Kong and trade in general; Muslims claiming a ban on travel to and from Muslim nations is a good idea. And so on. Most weren’t wearing any face coverings, so they must consider Covid to be a hoax, too. All seemed to think the election was stolen.
It troubles me that so many people believe such strange things. It also troubles me that what amounts to a temper tantrum is considered a reasonable response to losing. No one was talking about the climate emergency or the economy.
November 14, 2020
Diary 240
Friday, November 13th
In a surprise even by the ‘president’s’ illogical standards he has claimed credit for an election that was ‘the most secure in American history’ while simultaneously claiming he lost the election because of massive fraud.
I’ll leave that there.
