Allan G. Hunter's Blog, page 15

Diary 199

Saturday, October 3rd

The amount of conflicting news about the ‘president’ and about everything White House related is, well, astonishing. No one is in charge, it seems.  This is exactly what happens when one has an unhinged despot in the driver’s seat – there’s no one who can ensure continuity of policy when there is no policy, except whatever he decides to make a fuss about.

I do not enjoy being on a runaway train.

Meanwhile the planet is in trouble. Let’s not forget that.

Diary 198

Friday, October 2nd

The ‘president’s’ being diagnosed with Covid, and being taken to hospital, is all the news today. I wish I could (a) feel charitable towards him, and (b) believe that it’s not just some stunt to further some weird bit of his agenda.

I could have spent a lot of time and energy agonizing over this, but I didn’t. I went for a walk by the river instead.

Diary 197

Thursday, October 1st

The countdown to the election has sparked many fears – not least the fear of violence and intimidation on the day itself. I have to remind myself that the anticipation of nasty things is almost always far worse than the actuality. 

I have no doubt there may be attempts to intimidate us as voters. I think we’ll find, though, that these will be feeble. No one will know how you vote. No one has the right to question you. And if it should come to that I know I can always lie.  The Liar-in-Chief does it all the time, so why not?

Diary 196

Wednesday. September 30th

A lovely day today spent with even lovelier friends in Marblehead — our first day outside Watertown for several weeks.

I was slightly unsettled by the news that my old place of employment (for 32 years) had issued retrenchment papers and said they’d not rehire any of the teaching faculty next year. What this means, exactly, I am not sure as I have no more details as yet.  It seems that yet another Liberal Arts College is going under. Letters have been sent to students and parents, I’m told, so I’m not breaching any confidentiality.

Diary 195

Diary 195

Tuesday, September 29th. 

No, I did not watch the ‘presidential’ debate. The incumbent is clearly incapable of truth, so is there a point?  Really?

Instead here is a Praying Mantis our neighbor across the the street brought to show Zoe and Ellie. It’s about 5 inches long. I know what it’s praying for, also. 

When it comes time to vote, just remember: kids in cages; covid chaos, climate catastrophe and tax evasion.

Diary 194

Diary 194

Monday, September 28th.

In England archaeologists have discovered an Anglo-Saxon graveyard from about the 6th century. The bodies have all been dissolved by the acid soil, and left only ghostly stains on the sand as evidence that there were ever humans interred there.

One day we will all be like that, or less. One day our ‘president’ will be merely a stain on the ground, a stain on the reputation of a country that was once rather promising.

Diary 193

Sunday, September 27th

I saw a sign today for the Plumbing Museum. It was in a part of town I don’t often go through, and I was thrilled to think such a place exists.  It was closed, alas. Of course, I have actually lived in a plumbing museum. It was called England.

Meanwhile the ‘president’s’ taxes have been made available courtesy of the New York Times. They detail massive losses (hundreds of millions), huge loans coming due soon, and outright fraud. Surprised, anyone?

The truth always comes out.

In other news, it turns out an ancient TV set was blanking out the entire broadband reception for a Welsh Village, if you read The Guardian. Think of that. All Putin has to do if he wants to cripple Europe’s communication system is to parachute a bunch of battery-powered old TVs into the countryside, and phut goes all that expensive defensive weaponry we pay taxes for.

Diary 192

Saturday, September 26th

Talking to my local friendly policeman today – the men and women in Watertown’s force are always delightful – he let slip the detail that the department was presently swamped by requests for firearms licenses and pistol permits. Processing was backed up until January, he said.

So much for feeling safe in the USA. 

Diary 191

Diary 191

Friday, September 25th

Conversation:

“I’m not sure if I should contribute, or how much.”

“Give what you can.”

“Yeah, but …”

“Give what you can now. Because if trump gets in again your money won’t be worth much.”

Diary 190

Thursday, 24th September

Many, many thanks to all of the kind people who said encouraging things about my medical slice’n’dice. You are all lovely, and very reassuring.

The power of caring people all coming together was shown in another way yesterday when a large and noisy crowd responded to the ‘president’ when he went to Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s memorial. They chanted, at high volume “Vote Him Out!”

Check it out. https://youtu.be/VwxMQ7c9lwI

I wonder if he’ll get the message now?