I've just been reading the news. Are we living through strange times, or what? The people who stormed the U.S. Capitol, leading to five deaths and chaos and property damage, are asking for presidential pardons. And the "My Pillow" guy is apparently meeting with Trump and his minions in their continued effort to overthrow democracy, and carelessly carrying his notes so all the rest of us can figure out his half-baked plans.
It's really head-spinning.
Just three more days until we're rid of the Trumpster, but all signs indicate they're going to be crazy days.
Personally, I hope Trump hangs his followers out to dry, and then Biden pardons them. I know that seems insane, given their level of treachery and delusion, but it would be a huge step toward healing on a national level. I've been wondering if America needs something like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- an official forum to allow people on both the right and left to testify, discuss the issues, receive amnesty and hopefully reveal some semblance of truth and common perspective. The political divisions are now so severe, with the right and the left believing in entirely different realities -- I just don't know how else we overcome that. If we simply move forward as if the Trump years never happened, those divisions will remain and the questions will go unresolved, and that's a poisonous situation, it seems to me.
I also worry that Biden and Harris are being put in an impossible position. A lot of us think rainbows and unicorns will appear on Jan. 20, and let's face it -- the world will simply move forward with all its myriad problems. True, we'll be better equipped to face them, but they'll still be there. On the other hand, Trump's followers think a hammer & sickle flag will immediately appear atop the White House. I'll certainly be happier with Biden, but he won't be able to make any of us entirely, perfectly happy, and I suppose we shouldn't expect it. We're still going to be living real life.
Yesterday was rainy and grim. I threw our faded lily bouquet out into the garden, and droplets accumulating on the wilted petals made a nice picture. Olga couldn't be coaxed into going for a walk. Twice I put the leash on her and got her to the front door, and she firmly planted her feet and wouldn't go outside. We did manage to get her to venture briefly into the garden.
I know I've said this before, but I wonder if she's feeling some side effects from her anti-inflammatory medication. Apparently lethargy is one of them. She barely got off the couch all day, but she's eating normally so I'm not too worried. We probably need to get her a checkup at the vet, but that's not as straightforward as it sounds in a time of total coronavirus lockdown. I'll call them tomorrow.
I spent the day reading, finishing off my accumulated magazines, dispatching another Newbery winner in my ongoing quest to read all of them, and beginning Matt Haig's most recent book, "The Midnight Library." In the evening I made a martini and we watched "Sharknado," which was laughably, hilariously bad and yet bizarrely entertaining. We followed that up with a movie called "Rialto," about a middle-aged, married Irish guy who hires a rent boy. I had a terrible time understanding the dialogue, the accents were so thick (at least to my American ears), but I could make out enough to follow the plot and it was an interesting film.
Yesterday was rainy and grim. I threw our faded lily bouquet out into the garden, and droplets accumulating on the wilted petals made a nice picture. Olga couldn't be coaxed into going for a walk. Twice I put the leash on her and got her to the front door, and she firmly planted her feet and wouldn't go outside. We did manage to get her to venture briefly into the garden.
I know I've said this before, but I wonder if she's feeling some side effects from her anti-inflammatory medication. Apparently lethargy is one of them. She barely got off the couch all day, but she's eating normally so I'm not too worried. We probably need to get her a checkup at the vet, but that's not as straightforward as it sounds in a time of total coronavirus lockdown. I'll call them tomorrow.
I spent the day reading, finishing off my accumulated magazines, dispatching another Newbery winner in my ongoing quest to read all of them, and beginning Matt Haig's most recent book, "The Midnight Library." In the evening I made a martini and we watched "Sharknado," which was laughably, hilariously bad and yet bizarrely entertaining. We followed that up with a movie called "Rialto," about a middle-aged, married Irish guy who hires a rent boy. I had a terrible time understanding the dialogue, the accents were so thick (at least to my American ears), but I could make out enough to follow the plot and it was an interesting film.
Today's weather should be better, so hopefully Olga and I can get out of the house.
I watched and listened to Mr Biden delivering his outline plan for tackling COVID-19. It was kind of weird to listen to a presidential speech that was intelligent, measured and not all about him or fake news or "MAGA" or beautiful walls or the CHINA virus - the kind of crap that has spewed forth from Trump's big gob for the last four years. But you are so right, the path ahead will not be strewn with rose petals - far from it.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be so nice to have a leader who's presidential and has some dignity.
DeleteI have some faith in Biden. He is smart and bas been in politics for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI was reading at an esteemed local blogger about feeing black slaves yesterday. Bounty hunters and all as they fled north. Only really safe if they reached Canada. Can I suggest the US has always been a country divided and while it is worse now, things will wax and wane.
I do not agree with you about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While it was needed in South Africa, it is not appropriate for America. Criminal acts were committed last week and people need to be charged with crimes and sent before courts. Yes, for a change not black people but white people.
Olga doesn't sound too good, but if she is eating she is ok.
No magazine stress then?
A rent boi for an Irish man. Interesting.
Oh, I have faith in Biden too. I think he'll do a good job -- certainly worlds better than what we've got now. Re. Truth and Reconciliation, what I'm looking for is a way to bridge these divides -- between races, between economic groups and between the "realities" of the political left and right. We need to have conversations, and we need an official forum to do it.
DeleteThe Trump-grown nightmare will continue after inauguration. Awful to consider.
ReplyDeleteSG has a really difficult time with accents of all sorts. We watch everything with English subtitles. Our English nephew just didn't get it. "But it's already English, he would say!"
We tried to turn on subtitles or closed captioning during this film but we didn't seem to have that option!
DeleteThat would be a definite no for me re: Biden pardons. Those people deserve every single thing coming to them. The more that different cell phone footage is released re: the insurrection, the more horrifying it truly is. And for those people to think they could do all that, including beating police officers and destroying offices, and then just fly home and go back to their lives? Insanity, and privilege, on a whole different level.
ReplyDeletePerhaps pardoning is too strong a word -- and indeed a lot would have to happen between now and a pardon, including adjudication of all the charges those people are facing. I wish we could acknowledge, though, that these people are also victims of a deceptive and manipulative president (and their own resulting paranoia). I'm not sure sending all these rioters to prison is the answer. In fact, I worry that might only make them and their sympathizers more hostile and resentful.
DeleteI'm of the mind that things will get worse before they get better later in 2021. I'm also of a mind that these people need to be punished, otherwise the message is attack our government, we won't do anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm not opposed to consequences, but what's appropriate? Are they being punished enough now by being pursued and arrested, publicly exposed, losing jobs (in some cases)? And more importantly, how do we defuse the lingering hostilities and cooperate once again as a functioning society?
DeleteI do not think the rioters should be forgiven on any level but do believe they should be charged with sedition and treason and punished to the full extent of the law. Their access to social media should be removed. They are nothing but a group of criminals. If your home is invaded by ants, should you just sprinkle more sugar on your counters or nuke them with bug spray? They all think they should get a free pass so they can reorganize and do it again. People died and many are hospitalized. They are all traumatized. Free pass? Oh HELL NO!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't nuke ants with bug spray, because I don't use bug spray, but I'm probably in the minority there. :)
DeleteI don't think they should get an entirely free pass. They are already facing consequences, as they should. My question is, what will move us all forward? I think of Ford's controversial pardon of Richard Nixon. People hated that he did it, but it was unquestionably the right decision for the country. I think the Biden administration could show tremendous power by helping these deluded people (who already expect to be prosecuted and dominated by commie "Demonrats") and showing them he's trying to lift us all up and move us all forward -- Trump fanatics too.
no it's not going to suddenly be rainbows and unicorns but at least we will have someone willing to face and deal with the problems. I disagree that the insurrectionists should be pardoned. these people have been getting away with their bullshit for decades. letting them go without consequences did make them stop. it only encourages them to bigger things. the nation is divided and really always has been. Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter today addresses this rift.
ReplyDeleteI just read The Midnight Library.
That's why I think we should consider an official forum of some sort to discuss these differences and divisions. They HAVE existed for generations, but they're more powerful and more severe now as the Internet allows people on the fringe to seek each other out and reinforce each other's extremism. Somehow we need to puncture that bubble.
DeleteTrump doesn't give a damn about rioters who are arrested. He's probably thrilled that there are people who care about him so much that they've gone to jail for him. The scary thing I read last night (and who knows if it's true?) is that his base is slowly falling back from him and yet, at the same time, still determined to take over the government. For what? Oh yes. To prevent pedophilia and communism and socialism and whatever else their sources are telling them we need protection from.
ReplyDeleteIt's sickening and you're right about the rainbows and unicorns but at least that sleaze ball con man will be out of our house.
No, Trump doesn't care about those people at all. It's a big ego trip for him. And it's a mystery to me why they continue to devote themselves to a man who so obviously does not give a shit. This is where the Democrats can show strength, I think -- by giving a shit. As I said above, maybe pardons are too strong a term, but we need to show some form of compassion. As Obama said, "When they go low, we go high."
DeleteSteve since we over threw the orange elephant we should just brush ourselves off and restart our lives over for the better. I do hear a rep is talking about impeachment of Joe biden before he is sworn in. That piece of crap is the one who should be made to resign. Some people enjoyed the mess that orange elephant kept up on a daily basis. You have to keep overthrowing those kind of people out of office and one day we will get it right. It's not going to be overnight. The ones who got in trouble by going to the capitol should not be pardon but prosecuted to the extent of the law. No one who was on capitol grounds should get away with the trouble they started and death occurred because of it also.
ReplyDeleteOlga joints are probably hurting. The weather has a lot to do with it too. My two little girls have arthritis. They go to the vet and she told me to make them lose weight but they are not eating very much. They are not active at all. Maybe because I am not active either. They do have pain pills for our fur babies. I had to give babs some last week. She is better now.
I DO think there needs to be some justice for the death of the Capitol police officer. The other deaths, well, they got themselves into that mess and I think it's less clear that there need to be prosecutions associated with those.
DeleteWe do give Olga fish oil supplements for her joints, and they seem to help. We can tell when she gets stiff. I think she's just getting old and doesn't have the stamina she used to! (Like all of us, LOL)
I love your idea of Truth and Reconciliation. It is time for our country to have the big talk. I don't think it will ever happen, but it would be such a relief if it would. It's the talk we've been avoiding for the past 160 years. If you can, check out Heather Cox Richardson's Facebook post from January 16th. It's so insightful.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- a big talk is needed. I really think we need an official forum to discuss and debate some of these issues -- not only the outcome of the election but also deeper questions of race and identity and what it means to be patriotic. Trump's people are very deluded about patriotism, it seems to me.
DeleteAs god is my witness, I'll never vote Republican or buy a pillow from that guy. I may have to give up the Goya brand, too!
ReplyDeleteGreat summary. I'm holding my breath.
Fortunately I've never bought a "My Pillow"! LOL! I am sad about the Goya brand, though. I used to love their black beans.
DeleteWe had someone in our house who began complaining long and loud about all the troops in DC, about how 'THEY" were bringing the troops in, exposing them to covid, about the vast number of troops, how ridiculous it all is, etc. She is, mind you the same girl who believes covid is a hoax, refuses to wear a mask, considers the vaccine a disaster, wants everyone to develop herd immunity, and believe tRUMP is the rightful winner of the election. I try to be quiet, but she went on at great lengths about 'THEM' (meaning the people making the decisions to mobilize troops) and I just said, "Or maybe, MAYBE, people could stop threatening to attack the capitol again." She was outraged and quickly left the house.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like a mess! So my question is, is there a way we can hear people like her, and get to the root of what they're really saying? Is it that they really believe all this shit about Covid and Trump, or is it that they feel neglected by their country? Do they feel threatened and economically insecure? Do they crave the "belonging" that comes with being in a group (perhaps just online) of motivated people who think as they do? What compels that woman, and can she be helped to understand the true root of her delusions?
DeleteWhat compels the woman is simple. That's what the people around her say, and she parrots it too. We are not so big a part of her life, so when she comes in and begins ranting, it simply doesn't occur to her that her father and I see things differently. We are the weirdos in the family, Steve. We have relatives who were very likely AT the capitol...and may have gathered a busload of people. There is not a way to reach them all. They are name callers. We've been on the outside for many years, but now, for the first time, we're looking at the situation and being grateful for it. I do believe, with all my heart that it needs to happen from the top. People need to start speaking out from the top. Ministers have begun to speak out from the pulpit, which will ultimately counterbalance the evangelicals. When the newspapers stopped using euphemisms and began calling tRUMP for what he was: a liar, that was a big step too. The republican party has enabled tRUMP for the last four years. Now that he is gone, they're rediscovering their spines again. The rioting at the Hill is being investigated. My children's uncle is part of homeland security and he is aiding in the investigation. Interestingly enough, he is a republican (or was the last that I knew him) but my daughter spoke with him over the weekend. He said that there were members of congress that assisted the rioters. He also said that there were police sympathizers. His words: "This goes deep." How will we heal? It's not going to be by trying to reason with a woman who says exactly what she thinks that people want to hear. Social media is cracking down. Our media is speaking up. Our religious leaders our speaking up. We will rid ourselves of the self serving politicians. Then this country will heal.
DeleteRe difficulty with accents. It's rather funny. Or not. There are accents my ear doesn't pick up. On the phone it's a nightmare.In person it's ok. I just nod and smile. I don't mind appearing a bit dim. Having said that there are English people who have a problem with Scottish. To me it's crystal clear. Maybe our joint heritage. Guttural. Yay, Sean Connery and Billy Connolly. The Irish? No probs. They do all the talking (and drinking) for you. They are such a sweet, funny, affectionate people.
ReplyDeleteAccents/sound on screen? It can be annoying - not least those you'd understand perfectly if only they didn't mumble, slur their words. As most my watching is foreign language films (I am a sucker for Scandinavians, the Finnish, Dutch, French, Spanish, you name it) I am used to subtitles. And, will employ them, no shame in it, with some English speaking films, be they American or British. Before I totally fall in love with this particular subject I'll stem the flow.
Forgive me for not voicing any opinions on your political commentary. It's all so complex - I'd explode your comment box. Just one point, maybe not noticed yet by many: Should Trump's impeachment hold water when it goes to trial and he is convicted, there is a real chance that the Senate will also vote for him never to be able to stand for election (2024) again. Result. No doubt what Pelosi et al have in mind.
U
I find it amusing that even in the UK, people from one region may have trouble understanding the accents of people from another. In America we have this idea that there's a monolithic "English" accent, but in reality, there are dozens of accents. I'm not sure we fully appreciate that!
DeleteI wish we could have turned on subtitles or closed captioning for "Rialto," but we didn't seem to have that option.
Nope - no pardons. They were there to hurt people, so no forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteI do think we need Truth and Reconciliation panels, but I don't know how you'd get the white supremacists to participate. The US needs to recognize openly the river of racial animosity the runs through this country. Eventually demographics will move on, and whites will be in the minority, but prying the white fingers off the levers of power will be difficult.
I think white supremacists would participate if they thought they were going to be heard -- and especially if the alternative was prosecution (a la the Capitol rioters). They want a platform as much as anyone else, and part of their frustration is that they feel condemned and ostracized. Without lending their views credence, can we explore what they're really saying -- that they feel threatened and fearful and insecure? Just as BLM activists feel threatened and fearful and insecure? I don't mean to draw moral equivalence but there are commonalities there.
DeleteI threw the 2 "My Pillows" I had in the garbage can yesterday. I would never have bought them if I knew about the company owner and will never lay my head on one again. Damn!
ReplyDeleteI don't think the domestic terrorists should be pardoned. Many of them have been racist haters for years and no big talk will change their opinion or make them be kind to everyone.
I am glad that the Biden/Harris administration will know what they are doing and we will have competent people in charge again.
Oh, bummer that you already had "My Pillows" and had to discard them! I'd have done the same thing. That guy sounds like a wack job. As I said, I don't think the attack on the Capitol should go without consequences, but I'm not sure what those consequences should be, given the need to also move us all forward and get past this divisive time.
DeleteI agree that the way won't be easy and that the vindictiveness on the other side won't abate in the near(?) future. Biden will have a tough road but he knows how to govern and make intelligent decisions, which gives me hope. I want no mercy shown to the rioters; they don't deserve it and it would set a bad precedent.
ReplyDeleteYeah, hopefully Biden's measured approach to governance will show even his opponents that they are not an "enemy" per se. I guess that's what I'm trying to get at here -- how to cultivate that healing.
DeleteIf I thought pardoning some of them would change their behavior and minds, I'd be ok with it. But I feel like most of them are pretty hard core and can not be saved. No matter what happens, you are right we will be facing the same problems as before and Biden has a very hard job ahead of him. I'm kind of hoping that the banks financing My Pillow will pull their loans after seeing that he wants to overthrow the government. I'm hoping that Trump will be so busy trying to save his businesses and defending himself from lawsuits that he won't have time to lead any more revolutions. No one should rent him space for any more rallies.
ReplyDeleteThey ARE pretty hard-core, it's true. And I'm sure no matter what conversation we all have, a certain percentage of them will slip back into their 4chan message boards and continue perpetuating conspiracies. But I think there are many people who lean toward Trump and Q theories but may still be accessible and open to discussion. Or maybe I'M the one being delusional. LOL
DeleteSharknado and it’s many sequels has a huge niche following
ReplyDeleteBut not in north wales xx
Ha! Well, I wouldn't call it a GOOD movie, that's for sure. I'm astonished that it has five sequels!!
DeleteFingers Crossed That You And Little Olga Girl Are Out And About - Playing Catch Up During The Games Today
ReplyDeleteCheers
We are indeed out and about, as you will see in the next post! :)
DeleteYou're right about all the problems still being there as soon as Biden is sworn in. It's just that more problems will not be stirred up.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think more problems will be stirred up. Not by Biden, necessarily, but the Trump underground will be working against him from day one. That's why I think a gesture of conciliation on Biden's part -- maybe not pardons, but some kind of compassionate response to all this hostility and fear -- could go a long way.
DeleteI had to Google rent boy, so I learned something. Supposedly the creature plans on issuing 100 pardons tomorrow (Tuesday). I'm so tired of him and everything else.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie