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Trump Damaged So Much. These May be the Two Worst

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One Domestic, One International “Legacy” That We Will Cost Us for Many Years

 

In case you missed it yesterday, Happy Constitution Day. September 17 is the day we celebrate the ratification of our constitution by the delegates assembled in Philadelphia in 1782. A timely reminder, given what follows in this blog today. Would that more of us read the thing.

If We Were Making a List…

Were we to write out a list of everything Trump has done that has harmed this country, we would be here for a very long time.

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So, There Was This Other Convention

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It Was an Interesting Experience, If Not Altogether Surprising

 

Why Would Someone Watch That Thing?

I committed early on to watch the entire Republican convention. As it turned out, that was only a 1-day affair. They closed out their business on Monday by unanimously (shocking!) nominating Trump and Pence. While they were thinking about it, they decided they did not need a platform. They just stand for whatever Donald wants on a given day. And so, they adjourned. The following 3 evenings of TV were basically an ad.

So, a lot of people asked why I bothered to watch all this.

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So, What About This Post Office Mess?

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  1. Yeah, Its Bad. But the Side Effects are Really —  Interesting

A lot has been written about what is happening to the postal service and the potential effect on the election. Let’s see if we can drill down to what we know and what can be done.

Did We See This Coming?

Well, yeah – sort of. The alarm bells have been sounding for several months about the underfunding of the USPS. Just to refresh our memory, the main financial issue is a really weird pension system funding requirement imposed years ago that is unlike anything any other entity has to finance.

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A Road Trip Through America and Profiles on Unaffiliated Voters

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Two Different Studies Paint an Interesting Picture of America

I. Something New, Something Old

 I read an interesting, and rather upbeat, article this week by two writers who spent several months and over 20,000 miles of travel talking to Americans. These two fellows came from different starting points. One is a conservative, the other liberal. Part of the purpose of their journey was to see if each could come to a better understanding of the other’s perspective. I will tell you up front, that they largely succeeded in that goal. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/08/06/americans-more-united-than-our-political-rhetoric-indicates-column/3297493001/

They still disagreed on a lot but came to understand why they differed and found some room to respect the other viewpoint. 

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A Few Random Observations. Do They Seem the same to you, too?

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Four Short Reflections on Some Widely Different Topics

 

Seen Much News Lately?

Last week was one of those (another one!) that just seemed all over the board in terms of news and matters of interest. Here are my takeaways for your consideration. By the way, I find the process of looking back over the week as the weekend dawns a useful thing to do. So much happens in so many directions these days, it is helpful to look in the rear view mirror to assure ourselves, as much as we can, that (A) We didn’t miss anything really important and (B) We take the opportunity to assess the priorities – decide what out of all this mess really counts.

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Portland, Seattle…. Where Are We

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So Many Different Stories are Mixed in All This. It’s Worth Keeping Track

What’s Happening on the Ground

I have written in this space before that Portland does have a history of problematic protests. If memory serves, this is the case in Seattle as well, although to a much lesser degree. I mention this not to besmirch the movements taking place there, but only to call out that there are mixed in these communities who welcome chaos and violence.

A fight with federal forces that draws blood would be fine with them. That they would play right into Trump’s hands is likely irrelevant to them.

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We Are Witnessing BIG History. Take Notes.

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Some of This Will Inspire Us. Much of This Will Not Be Pretty

The following post was one I drafted back in early March, but never posted. It was bumped by other news and forgotten. At the time, we were just starting to experience the pandemic that now dominates so much of our lives. Little did we know back then just how big an effect we were about to experience, and how long this fight was going to be. Looking back on this post, it seems both prophetic and a bit innocent, almost naive. I don’t know about you,

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The Question of the Day: WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!

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In Case You Missed Them, a Few Indications This Week That Our Species Has a Bell Curve

What a Week That Was

I generally have the next 2-3 blogs outlined a few days ahead of time. On occasion, events cause me to bump the order of things, but for the most part, the system allows me to give some time and thought to what shows up in your inbox. That was the plan for today.

I have indeed given much thought to this posting, but it is not the one I started with originally.

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This is a Blog Post I Never Thought I Would Have to Make

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And I Hate Doing It

 

What It Means to Be an American Military Officer

I spent much of my adult life in the US Army. It is an institution I love and respect, and by extension, I feel the same about all the armed services and the civilians that support them. One of the things that has always been most meaningful to me is that every member of every armed force, no matter their rank, takes the same oath of allegiance. It is to the constitution. Not to the government, certainly not to the president,

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The Problem with Policing Is Even Worse Than You Think

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If We Cannot Make Progress on This, Much Else Will Never Get Right

 

 

Here We Are

Once again, we sit in front of our TVs and watch our nation burn. We have been here before, and surely will again. This time has some important differences, as well as some timeless evil.

That there are racial disparities in the dispensing of law enforcement and justice should not be a surprise to anyone by now. Although some resisted the terminology and the messaging, the Black Lives Matter movement has done much to educate the rest of us in preparation for this moment.

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