Winter 2019 is Here!!

I wrote this little piece on winter some years ago, and added a small piece on a specific winter storm during March at some point, as well. 

Here's the problem: I like the pictures, but have no idea if I ever published these before and, if so, when. One of them includes pictures that I took in Roseland, New Jersey, but that was back when I still had my weekend job there (one of my favorite jobs that I ever held for several reasons, and which I worked for just shy of 11 years). 

Still, again, some of these pictures are of decent quality, and it seems a shame never to publish them. So, in lieu of any pictures from the recent winter storms from the three separate storms that hit the New York/New Jersey area over this past weekend (one each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday now going into Monday), it seemed like an appropriate time to publish this post, finally.

So, here are some old pictures from various times over the years:

For many people, winter is something to simply get over with. They approach it with trepidation as the hot days of summer melt into the warm days and cool nights of that earlier part of autumn, which is one of the most pleasant times of the year. There is a burst of fall colors, and the weather feels very pleasant. But those cool nights, which sometimes feel like they have the first trace of winter's bite in them, are a reminder of the approach of that season of discontent.

Late fall turns overcast, and the trees lose their color, and then lose their leaves. The days may hold some warmth to them, but more often, they start to become chilly as well. The nights are outright cold, and we begin to see that first, light coat of frost in the mornings. Before too long, it is hard to tell when autumn has ended, and winter has begun.

Yet, the cold weather holds a certain charm, particularly early on. That first snowfall, when children forget that they are in a classroom and, wide-eyes, all gather by the window to watch, before the inevitable questions about going home early begin. The cool to cold weather is a Thanksgiving tradition, and by the holidays of December, cold weather has become the norm. But with the image of the shelter from the cold inside of a warm, family atmosphere to banish the inhospitable chill of the outdoors, there is still a pleasant feel about it all.

As the holiday season yields to the everyday grind again, shortly after New Year's, the winter can become cumbersome. It becomes a hassle whenever we hear the forecast and see that a winter storm is approaching. Everyone listens, crestfallen, to find out how many inches, how big this storm will get. This is the part of winter that most people dread the most. It means long lines in the stores, as everyone tries to stock up in order to wait out the storm. It means sore hands and back from shoveling and clearing off the car. It often means driving with white knuckles in inclimate conditions, and feeling your heart stop when you hit black ice, and the vehicle is no longer fully under your control. That can get particularly bad during the worst that winter has to offer - ice storms and hail. The worst part about those are that they aren't snow, and while the roadways might not look bad, may in fact look pretty clear, and many overconfident drivers are fooled into thinking everything is normal, and that this is just normal rain, conditions are actually at their worst. This is when there are the most accidents.

This is really when people are tired of the winter, and just ready for it to be over already. Whatever charm it might have had early on, it has now lost. You long for the first signs of spring. The first robin bird, the first singing among birds in the tree. That first truly warm day and, an even more important and telling sign, that first warm night. The days are growing longer, and people are talking more about their plans for the upcoming summer.

Early spring is a charming time, with signs of new life all over the place. The trees show buds, and the buds quickly become leaves, although they are young leaves at first. The shade of green is brighter, somehow. Now as full-sized as they will get later on. Like the early autumn, spring is one of the most charming times of the year. You hear the sounds of baby birds in their nests, with the parents busily flying to and fro, looking for food for their young. You see the chicks of ducks and geese lining up behind their much bigger parents. They look very different, at least at first. They are yellow and seemingly furry, and they are so much smaller and quicker, that if you did not know any better, you might at first assume that they are a different creature altogether. People allow themselves to banish the thoughts of the winter, since it seems the next one is now far away. It is not, of course. It will be back before you know it.

Perhaps we can forget about winter as soon as the spring arrives, and the moaning and groaning whenever there is a snowstorm late in the year ("I thought we were done with this already!" or "why can't winter just end!"). But there can be real beauty to be had, if you get past that kind of dismissiveness and winter fatigue. Fact is, spring is around the corner and, usually, the snow that does fall will melt away quickly enough. Often times, the snow does not even strongly effect driving conditions, and so simply adds a measure of beauty to our day.

Such was the case with yesterday's storm. Perhaps there were areas harder hit than where I am. But the storm simply made everything look beautiful, serene! So, I decided to do something that I had not done in a few years.

We had a very nasty winter back in 1995-96. I remember it well. Record snow fall, and just a lot of nasty days and nights during a winter that never wanted to end. Living in West Milford, which is a a generally higher altitude then much of the rest of New Jersey, the weather often is more severe. You would be amazed the difference not just between a few towns or miles, but sometimes, much less than that. We live near this one hill, and I have seen it go from rain on the bottom of that hill, to snow, and measurable snow at that, by the point that you reach the top. We in West Milford got pounded with measurable snow that winter. There were such storms as early as October of 1995, and as late as April, 1996. More than half of a year, and believe me, it felt like it on that winter.

The last snow that we really saw came on April 11th. I remember that day well. That was the day that I saw the great Chicago Bulls team, as they blazed their way to a championship season by compiling a 72-10 regular season mark. They are still the only team in history to have won 70 games or more during the regular season.

It was memorable for another reason completely, however. I was supposed to go to school later that day, but had a few hours beforehand. It had snowed that night, and into the morning. It was beautiful, and I decided to bring the camera and take some pictures. The snow had fallen, but had largely been restricted to the grass and trees. It looked like a winter wonderland, yet it did not seem to affect the roads or driving conditions. It had snowed, and made the world beautiful, yet, I am not sure it would even have measured even an inch. It was gone by the afternoon, but before the wind blew the snow off the tree, or it all melted, I made a point of taking some pictures. If I say so myself, there were some awesome pictures taken that day. It also marked the first time that I did something like that. From that point on, I always wanted to do something like that again, and even managed, to some extent, on certain occasions. Those pictures still exist, and I really would love to make copies someday. But I have to find them and, more importantly, I would have to find the

Some years ago, it must have been either 2009 or 2010, we again got some early snowfall in October. No, I'm not talking about the two foot snowstorm from October 29th of 2011, which was the only major snowfall that we had during a record mild winter for 2011-12. This one was just enough to coat the grass and leaves, which were still showed their bright fall colors. I drove around with my son in the afternoon, taking pictures on my cell phone - the only camera of any sort that I owned at that point. I have not been able to transfer those online, or get them developed on their own, or any such thing. The only time that I can see them is on that particular phone, and it is a tiny screen. Obviously, I wanted another shot at it.

So yesterday, after leaving from work (I work overnights), I was a bit worried about driving conditions as my shift was ending. But another thought popped into my head: perhaps this would be a good day to take some pictures. True, the camera I was using was not professional, or even close. In fact, it's the Kindle that my girlfriend got me for Christmas. I really want to get a better camera, believe me. Taking pictures with that was annoying, as you can only take them while the monitor is facing you. So, most of the pictures, I could not even really see while taking them. Only afterwards, could I "see" them, once they were already taken. Then, I had to choose if it was satisfactory or not. So, to say it was limited would be an understatement.

That said, I went ahead with it anyway. I mean, you can't always choose the circumstances, right? But it was a beautiful day. Some people here in New Jersey might crucify me for saying that about a cold, dreary day in March, which served as a reminder that while spring is very close, right around the corner, it is still officially, and realistically, winter - at least for the time being.

But a beautiful day it was. The roads were not all that bad, actually, and my worries began to dissipate. I drove along 1 & 9, and stayed close to the right. There was a park, Roosevelt Park, that I thought might be pretty. Turned out, it was even prettier than I had imagined! There was a road in the middle of it, and a lot of people were driving, busily going from home, presumably, to their jobs, or whatever other destination they might be headed. I was the only one that was stopped, pulled to the side, and doing some strange activity with my Kindle. Quite a few curious people slowed down to look at me, and seemed perplexed. But some of the nicest shots that I took were there.

I was feeling good, but still had a long way to go. I merged onto I-287, and got off on Exit 12, turned left towards home, towards Hillsborough. But the road runs next to a canal, and at some point, it looked so beautiful, that I stopped and, once again, snapped some pictures. The very first picture of this blog, the one at the very top, was among these.

Next, came a bend in the road, with some woods and a bridge overlooking that same canal, only a different part of it. Last spring, Basia and I would walk along the long, gravel walkway, and enjoy watching turtles sunbathing. The difference between that trail that basked in the sun, and the snow-draped winter wonderland that it had become yesterday, was amazing! Really, really beautiful! I also took some pictures of some farm fields nearby. New Jersey is infamous for being the most densely populated state in the country, and has a reputation for being ugly, dirty, and smelly. But I lived much of my life in a different part of the state, in the northwestern section, which is a landscape of wooded foothills (the Kittatinny Range) and sparkling lakes and streams. Hillsborough is a different part of the state, but this area has some very nice things, as well. The pictures I took yesterday showed a different side of New Jersey than most people think of.

I went to Colonial Park, and got some nice shots there of a lake, as well as some surrounding trees. There were some wooded scenes that I snapped pictures of, as well as a nice, charming house set in a winter scene. Basia always point that house out, and tells me how much she loves it. It looked especially pretty in the snow yesterday, so I went ahead and took some pictures.

Then, off to Hillsborough, to what would be my final stop. There is what I can only imagine to be an old mill factory, or some such thing, right off the side of a stream. It kind of has a gothic look and feel to it, and looks a bit like an old stone castle or fortress. You can see some of the pictures of it down below. I have been wanting to take pictures of it for a while now, and this snow gave me the excuse to make yesterday the day to finally do it (at least for the first time).

I was parked off the side of the road, though. While I was gone, some town worked drove by, and noticed the car. Evidently, I was parked illegally, and they thought that the owner of the car was in some kind of trouble. He went looking for me, but I spotted him approaching, and went to meet him. He told me that the town had been preparing to tow the car. Mind you, I had been gone for maybe ten minutes. But I took this as a sign.

My fingers were feeling numb, and my toes were cold. The battery on the Kindle was getting low, and it would not last much longer before it died altogether. Plus, I had gotten some good shots, more than I had expected when the thought first crossed my mind to go ahead and take some pictures. It began to feel like it was time to get home. A full shift at work, followed by hours taking pictures with a device that was not meant to take photographs (at least, it certainly was not the main function of the device) meant that the day was done.

But I felt I had done well, especially under the conditions. Of course, now, that's for you, the reader and the viewer, to judge.

As I write this, the snow is already starting to be more of a memory than anything else. I stepped outside a short while ago, and it is, once again, warm. Positively spring-like, in fact! Yesterday afternoon, the snow had already either been blown off the trees, or melted. A few hours ago, much of the lawn was cleared of the snow, melted off. You might never know that there had been a fairly significant snowfall yesterday. The traces are diminishing quickly.

Spring is almost here. But for one day, we revisited winter. Or, rather, it revisited us, reminding us that it's hour is not yet done. I know a lot of people are sick and tired of it, fed up. They just want the spring to get here already.

But for one morning, it felt like time almost stood still. I was taking pictures, with people all around me hustling and bustling, doing whatever they normally did during their busy days. I was alone, but is was a pleasant solitude. Some might scoff at my saying this, but I felt truly blessed to have been able to enjoy such a beautiful, pristine, snowy day!

The dreamlike quality is done, though. It took longer than expected to download the pictures, and the computer crapped out on me, and did not allow me to download all the pictures, or even the majority of them. My intention is to download them later, and to post them on this particular blog, to add them where I feel they belong.

But for now, these pictures should testify to some of the natural beauty that I was graced with, and had the pleasure to capture a moment of, and share here with you. Professional grade camera it was certainly not, yet some of these came out surprisingly nicely! Enjoy!

Roosevelt Park

Roosevelt Park

Small stone wall of a bridge nearby Colonial Park

Other side of that bridge

Roosevelt Park

Roosevelt Park

A solitary lampost stands guard, draped in a snowy landscape.

There was yet another snow storm on Saturday, March 16th. In fact, we had yet another one on Monday the 18th but, if you follow my post, you will know that not only did I not get any pictures for that particular storm, but that it was a most annoying and unwelcome storm that made the roads very slick and slippery, with a lot of accidents and incidents. But before that, there was the milder snowfall on Saturday the 16th. I was at work, but still managed to take these shots, which came out wonderfully under the circumstances (and given the obviously less than professional grade of the camera I was using at the time). Here are some of those pics:

Bright red berries add a splash of color to the winter wonderlandscape of white snow, and bare brown tree bark.  Roseland, New Jersey

Buds were showing on these trees, but were covered in frozen snow for the storm.

Here are some pictures from the previous snowstorm that did not make it to the post that I put on this blog on March 9th. Thought I would put them up here now. 

Photography is a growing hobby of mine. I never took any classes or anything like that. Hell, I took these pictures on my Kindle, which has served as my only camera for quite some time now. But still, I am learning. So, if you have any advice, or pointers, please don't hesitate! I'd love to learn more!

Trump Administration Accused of ‘Rolling Back Women’s Rights by 50 years’

“No, you can't deny women their basic rights and pretend it's about your 'religious freedom'. If you don't like birth control, don't use it. Religious freedom doesn't mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.”

~President Barack Obama

The Trump administration has rolled back considerable progress that the country has made over recent decades in a number of ways, as it tries (pointlessly, I might add) to turn back the clock to a time that it finds more agreeable. The 1950's, perhaps.

We see it every day, and in a number of ways.

After all, let us remember that Trump's now famous campaign slogan is Make America Great Again. Many people who take exception to that phrase take particular issue with the "Again" part, because it implies a time when the United States was greater, or enjoyed a greater status, than it does today. And let's face it: a lot of people who glorify the so-called golden age of the United States, back in the 1950's and 1960's, conveniently overlook the blatant unfairness of the legal Jim Crow segregation system that existed back then. When those worries are hardly allayed when you see spikes in hate crimes, or when you see outright Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen, and other white supremacist groups marching on American streets, illuminating their activities with torch lights. Those fears are, in fact, stoked, when those activities are not really clearly condemned by the President of the United States of America, especially one who claimed that he would be the president for "all Americans," yet seems time and time again to favor one particular group of Americans over all others.

Nor was racial segregation the only problem that existed during the supposed golden age of America. Mindless conformity and the dawning of mindless consumerism were beginning to rear their ugly heads. And there was blatant sexism, as women hardly enjoyed an equal status with men. In fact, just like blacks in the South during the days of Jim Crow, women were basically expected to know their place back in those days. 

Some people feel that the Trump administration is also trying to turn back the clock for women as well. By aggressively pursuing an overturn of Roe v. Wade, and not even pretending towards an unbiased agenda in that regard. By ignoring arguments about inherent unfairness and sexism at the workplace. By willfully ignoring violence against women and girls, even when the United States stands alone in the world in so doing!

Here are some aspects of a sad story showing yet another angle of the backwards mindset and approach by the Trump administration, according to an article by Maya Oppenheim for The Independent (see the link to this article below):

The Trump Justice Department’s definition only considers physical harm that constitutes a felony or misdemeanour to be domestic violence – meaning other forms of domestic violence such as psychological abuse, coercive control and manipulation no longer fall under the department’s definition.

Holly Taylor-Dunn, a senior lecturer at the University of Worcester who has been working in the field of domestic and sexual violence for 17 years, said she was shocked by the move.

 “I was massively surprised and really shocked," she said. "It is quite scary how quietly it has happened. It is a massive step backwards. We have literally gone back to the 70s. We have worked so hard since the 60s and 70s to get domestic abuse and sexual violence understood as being about more than physical violence. Changing the definition to take it back to being about physical harm completely undermines what domestic abuse is about”.

“Narrowing the definition will stop victims being able to access the services they need. Prosecutions for domestic and sexual violence will also fall because they are limiting it to the most severe forms of abuse so fewer victims are likely to come forward and seek help.

“The move sets a bad example. People look to America and the UK to be progressive on issues such as these. If America does it then other countries could quite conceivably think it is an appropriate response.”

The relentless, and pointless, pursuit of trying to rewind and go backwards, which the ultimate con man has tricked tens of millions of Americans into believing might actually happen.

This is the ultimate masterpiece by someone who has dedicated his entire life to being the best scam artist in history!

Here is the article I used in writing this, and the source of the quotes used above):

Trump administration ‘rolling back women’s rights by 50 years’ by changing definitions of domestic violence and sexual assault 'I was massively surprised and really shocked. It’s quite scary how quietly it’s happened. It’s a massive step backwards. We have literally gone back to the 70s,' says academic   Maya Oppenheim Women's Correspondent  @mayaoppenheim Thursday 24 January 2019:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-domestic-abuse-sexual-assault-definition-womens-rights-justice-department-a8744546.html?fbclid=IwAR1ar2uvE5y9UHbWD5Gh5QPpRddRqpPEXqLmAKUG6jwHHr6m2TfSKc5MFa0

Winter Starting to Hit With Full Force

It seems like a pattern with some recent winters.

We get hit with some early snow storms and really cold weather, and everyone starts talking about how bad the winter is going to get. In fact, these projections seem to happen every year as winter approaches. I think that I have heard someone or other saying that Farmer's Almanac has predicted a really, really bad upcoming winter now for over 20 straight years. It has happened on occasion, but for the most part, we here in the greater New York/ New Jersey metropolitan area have not been hit with winters that are reminiscent of the older days. Hell, I remember even in my own youth how winters felt quite a bit more severe than they have in recent years.

Yet, once we get those early storms. This year, we had a bad November storm not so much in terms of the amount of snow that fell (it was just a few inches), but rather, because of the layer of ice both under the snow and over the snow. It caused all sorts of traffic problems, and there were reports of some people stuck on I-287 for over 10 hours, and some school children in one of the Oranges being stuck in their school for the night. 

And so, being so early in the winter season (before winter even officially started), it seemed like a bad omen. 

Yet, for the most part, we did not get much of anything for a while after that. We went through most of December, and I cannot remember any kind of tricky storms like that, and nothing in terms of significant snowfall. And while we might have gotten some snow in January and February, it was not a huge amount, either. 

But now, just like last year, it seems like March is starting off with a bang. Just when you think that maybe winter will pass you by with hardly a bang, it starts to show it's frosty bite.

We started off with a snowstorm on Friday, during the first hours of the new month of March. It was not too bad, from what I saw, although northwestern New Jersey got hit harder. Then, last night, we got yet another measurable snowfall, and this one seemed a bit more severe than what they had projected prior to the storm. It was actually enough to make things a bit inconvenient, and we had to clear the snow from the cars and driveways. 

Now, we are expecting the most severe storm yet of this winter. It is set to begin fairly early tomorrow afternoon. It will not last long, yet it will dump anywhere from 5-8 inches in the northwestern part of New Jersey, and less the further south you go. It will not apparently be a long lasting storm, as it is fast moving. Yet, it will produce the most serious measurable snowfall to date for this winter.

We shall see just how bad it is. But clearly, Old Man Winter has not really left. In fact, we might even be seeing it arrive fully for the first time this season!

Former Maine Governor Wants to Preserve Electoral College to Maintain "Voice of White People"

So, I have heard before that the electoral college system - the very system that has allowed the United States to obtain the dubious distinction of seeing the candidate with fewer overall votes (significantly fewer in the case of the current president) nevertheless officially be declared as the "winner" of a national presidential election - was one of the last remaining vestiges of the supposed compromises towards slave states. 

Of course, those who want to defend the Electoral College system are many, and they are of all political persuasions. I know some Democrats who, despite having gotten screwed in two presidential elections in recent memory. The Democratic candidate in 2000, Al Gore, received half a million more votes nationally in the election than George W. Bush, yet officially lost. And again in 2016, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 2.7 million more votes than Donald Trump nationally, yet officially lost that race.  You might think that Democrats would be screaming about scrapping the Electoral College system, but you would be wrong. Some would like to see it go, to be sure. But most Democrats - particularly the mainstream Democrats - do not want to change this system. There is no move towards scrapping it in favor of a fairer system that might better represent the nation's will. 

Let us remember that the United States is supposed to be a democracy. We Americans pride ourselves (or at least we did not all that long ago) on being the world's first modern democracy. 

Yet, we have some major problems and blemishes with our democratic institutions. The Electoral College is one of the most glaring aspects that has failed the American people, more than once. Yet, it is not the only problem. Not by a long shot. We also have gerrymandering, which seems to allow politicians to choose their voters, rather than the other way around. We have a two party system, when it has become crystal clear that two parties hardly encompass the interests and aspirations of a nation of well over 300 million. Then, we have all of this money in our elections, particularly (but certainly not exclusively) on the national level. Finally, we have some incredibly blatant corruption, in which prominent politicians are outright given money and perks, even though they often try to hide this, or at least to sweep it under the rug. Lobbyists petition these major political leaders, and thus, these politicians wind up protecting the best interests of these moneyed parties, rather than the people who elected them into office.

These are some of the glaring failures that clearly undermine our democracy, and I could go on about each of them.

Today, however, I just wanted to remind everyone of the rather dark history that brought the Electoral College system into being in the first place. Historically, of course, slave states tended to have smaller populations than the wealthier, more industrialized northern states, and so they wanted some  assurances for equal representation, or a greater share of power. One of these solutions was the Electoral College system, which gives smaller states bigger representation on the national level. It is the reason why each state - regardless of how big the population - has two senators apiece.

But slavery officially ended in 1865, when the Civil War ended, right? After all, Lincoln had proclaimed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, and once the Confederate state of the South surrendered, that was the end of it, right?

Well, maybe it should have been the end of it, but it was not. In the 1870's, numerous Southern states adapted system of official segregation and racism. Whites and blacks were to remain separate at almost every possible turn. Officially, when this was challenged in the Supreme Court, it was deemed to be constitutional, at least officially. The infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896 declared that segregation was perfectly fine, so long as it was "separate but equal."

Of course, everyone realized that blacks were not really meant to be on an equal footing with whites. It was whites who had instituted these policies in the first place, and they did not do so with the best interests of blacks in mind. If there are any doubts about that, just keep in mind the extensive history of lynchings, or black voter suppression (even though legally, blacks had the right to vote, conditions were invented, including outright bullying, that made it very, very difficult for blacks to actually practice their legal right to vote). And so, neighborhoods remained strictly segregated, and blacks and whites had separate entrances to public buildings, separate sections in restaurants and theaters and hotels and buses and trains, and there were benches and water fountains that were restricted for the enjoyment of whites, and others that were given to blacks. This was hardly a fair system, and it clearly was meant to maintain white supremacy, in the aftermath of the forcible end of slavery in the South.

Yes, this Jim Crow segregation system, as it was known, was the best system that angry whites could obtain to replace slavery after they were defeated in the Civil War. Yet, this system lasted for nearly a century afterward. To put that into perspective, I was born just a little more than a decade after this legal and social Jim Crow segregation system was finally officially eliminated with  a series of civil rights bills that were forced through Congress by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the mid-1960's. Anyone who is 55 or over was actually alive for this, and most people 60 or older are old enough to remember it. President Jimmy Carter remembers it, and so does President Bill Clinton. Donald Trump is old enough to remember it, too, even though he lived in the northern state of New York. 

And even while most official elements of Jim Crow segregation were finally abolished, institutional racism has proven to be as stubborn and difficult to eliminate, or even to minimize, as it was shortly after Lincoln officially ended slavery. Those who seek to preserve the privileged status of whites still use certain gimmicks and tricks that are, frankly, against the spirit of true democracy, let alone equality, in order to preserve what remaining privileges they can. And let us make no mistake and be honest by calling a spade a spade, and call this what it is: the remnant of a system invented by whites and designed to preserve the privileges enjoyed by whites. 

That is what makes the current problems with some of our elections so problematic, particularly gerrymandering and, you guessed it, the Electoral System. 

Just in case you suspect that race has nothing to do with it, take a look at what former Maine Governor Paul LePage (shockingly, a Republican!) recently said about the possibility of eliminating the Electoral College system. LePage served as governor of Maine from 2011 until very early this year, and here is what he said on Main radio station WVOM recently in defense of preserving the Electoral College:

 "Actually, what would happen if they do what they say they’re going to, white people will not have anything to say. 

"It’s only going to be the minorities that would elect. It would be California, Texas, Florida."

This is a prominent politician championing the Electoral College so that the white race will maintain a voice in the political system. 

Does that sound a bit racist? It should because it is. LePage is clearly suggesting that states that have a vast majority of whites are going to lose their political voice, and he is clearly pointing to other states that have a lot of "minorities" that will then control everything politically. My question is that, if they are indeed "minorities," how are they possibly going to control the national political agenda?

But LePage continues: 

“All the small states like Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming, Montana, Rhode Island, you’ll never see a presidential candidate again. You’ll never see anybody at the national stage come to our state. We’re gonna be forgotten people. It’s an insane, insane process."  

"This is so insane. Why don’t we just adopt the constitution of Venezuela and be done with it. Let’s have a dictator. That’s what you’re going to boil down to. You’re going to have five or six states that are going to control everything in Washington."

Actually, from what I can see, you are going to have a majority of Americans who actually control what happens in Washington, and not just a few states. Because that is what democracy - real democracy - looks like. It is not supposed to be restricted to benefit one race of people, but rather, to serve and benefit all of the people of a nation.

Hardly a revolutionary idea.

Yet, it clearly has strong opponents these days once again, clearly.

Here is the link to the article about these rather obnoxious (yet hardly shocking these days) statement by the former Main governor:

Ex-Maine GOP gov: White people won't get 'anything to say' if Electoral College is eliminated BY JUSTIN WISE - 02/28/19:

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/432014-ex-maine-gop-governor-says-white-people-wont-get-anything-to-say-if?fbclid=IwAR03a5P-4F2MZI4DFKgWhEevbz9kDIOTsStg_O9weKmb4sZVfuqIz8emNOM

Michael Cohen Portrays Trump as Liar & Criminal

Trump's former lawyer, who Trump used to repeatedly describe as "a good man," testified before Congress yesterday, and painted a bleak picture of the man, both before his rise to the presidency, and since he officially took office. 

According to Cohen, there is an extensive pattern in history of Donald Trump lying and conducting himself in a criminal manner. Some people are going so far as to suggest that Cohen description of Trump's behavior is reminiscent of the Mob!

Members of Trump's Republican party took to the microphones and blasted Cohen, attacking his credibility, and suggesting that Cohen himself has a history of lying. Cohen did not refute these charges, but seemed to use the weight of these accusations against the credibility of the President. 

So, Cohen brought some proof for some of the most damning evidence he gave against Trump. That includes a copy of the check, signed by then President Trump, to pay Cohen back for the $130,000 that Cohen paid to keep Stormy Daniels silent during the campaign.

Cohen condemned Trump's behavior since his former boss took over the Oval Office. But, he said that he is done protecting Trump:

“He is a racist. He is a con man. And he is a cheat.” 

“I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore.”

Indeed, Cohen apologized for being such an enthusiastic backer of Trump, and for defending him. According to Cohen, Trump is "Fundamentally disloyal." However, he at least claimed that he is trying to make amends.

“Sitting here today, it seems unbelievable that I was so mesmerized by Donald Trump that I was willing to do things for him that I knew were absolutely wrong.” 

“Being around Mr. Trump was intoxicating.” 

Cohen stated that, despite Trump's promise to "Make America Great Again," he was more interested in trying to make capitalize on great opportunities to add to his already considerable wealth. According to Cohen, Trump was much more interested "to make his brand great, not to make our country great."

Some of Cohen's hardest punches towards Trump came during his closing statement:

"I'd like to say directly to the president: We honor our veterans — even in the rain. We tell the truth even when it doesn't aggrandize you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents. You don't villainize them.  

"You don't disparage generals, Gold Star families, prisoners of war and other heroes who had the courage to fight for this country. You don't attack the media and those who question what you don't like or what you don't want them to say and you take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. 

"You don't use your power of your bully pulpit to destroy the credibility of those who speak out against you. You don’t separate families from one another or demonize those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify people based on the god they pray to and you don’t cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. And finally you don’t shut down the government before Christmas and New Year's just to simply appease your base.  

"This behavior is churlish, it denigrates the office of the president and it's un-American and it's not you." 

Cohen also confirmed the worst fears that some people, myself included, have of Trump, which is that he will not peacefully give up the office of the president should he lose the next election. Here is what Cohen said:

"I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power. And this is why I agreed to appear before you today." 

Scary thought.

These are the numerous articles that I employed in writing this particular blog entry about Cohen's testimony regarding Donald Trump yesterday:

Michael Cohen Accuses Trump of Expansive Pattern of Lies and Criminality by Peter Baker and Nicholas Fandos, The New York Times,  Feb. 27, 2019:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/us/politics/michael-cohen-trump.html

Michael Cohen: Trump wanted 'to make his brand great, not to make our country great' In his first public testimony, Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen told lawmakers the president is "fundamentally disloyal." USA TODAY 4:14 p.m. EST Feb. 27, 2019

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-trump-ran-office-make-his-brand-great-not-make-our-country-great/3003419002/

Michael Cohen: 'I fear' Trump won't peacefully give up the White House if he loses the 2020 election by Kevin Breuninger and Dan Mangan, February 27, 2019:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-i-fear-trump-wont-give-up-the-white-house-if-he-loses-in-2020.html

Michael Cohen speaks directly to Trump in scathing closing statement by NBC News, February 27, 2019:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/michael-cohen-speaks-directly-trump-scathing-closing-statement-n977396?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_mtp&fbclid=IwAR0kkNrx7DJOjSFgadi975W7jzUdMAwTpRrPPrEZs4e5P8npmoIs_BSyEMM

Brazil's Ministry of Education Forces Brazilian Students to Recite Jair Bolsonaro Campaign Slogan

We know that the victory of nationalist Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 has seen stunning changes in the United States. The nation has not felt this divided in recent history, and that is saying something, given the racial and political tensions that dominated headlines in the 1960's, or the political divides during the Bush years. There has also been a spike in hate crimes, and it feels like there is a general rise in ugliness, in truly reprehensible behavior and thought.

As we also all know, the United States is a huge country, and for now, the world's leading superpower. So, what happens here has reverberations around the world. 

Unfortunately, the trend away from a more enlightened mode of thinking, and towards greater democracy, and towards more totalitarian thinking and actions, predated Trump. Trump was the big victory in that direction, however, and if there were waves warning of an approaching storm before, that storm is gathering strength now. Everywhere, nationalist movements have gained strength. We see LePen becoming a political force in France, we see the rather extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) now standing as Germany's second party, while other nationalist movements are clearly gaining steam in nations like Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Greece. We have also seen extremist governments take over in some eastern European nations, like Hungary, and Poland. There have been even stronger moves away from democracy in Russia, Turkey, and the Philippines.

But perhaps no place feels as alarming as the rise of Bolsonaro in Brazil. The newly elected President there was almost like a follow-up to Donald Trump's rise to the White House, and it has a huge impact. After all, Brazil is the regional superpower in South America. And his denial of climate change rivals that of the more infamous American climate change deniers, only the stakes are perhaps even higher, given the extreme importance of the Amazon rain forest being primarily in northern Brazil. Bolsonaro's policies are likely to lead not only to increased destruction of that rain forest, but even worse, to an outright acceleration of it.

Indeed, that is scary. To have an irresponsible, Trump-like politician making decisions about the delicate situation in the Amazon rain forest is very scary.

Yet, the damage that Bolsonaro is capable of is not restricted to that. Many felt that he brought many of the same negatives as the elected leader of Brazil that Trump has brought into the Oval Office. Bolsonaro has had a past history of xenophobia, with comments and attitudes that betray a clear and blatant racism, homophobia, and sexism.

And, of course, he seems to not be a big fan of democracy, and has glorified the military dictatorships in the not so recent past for Brazil.

And here is another scary thing that has just happened. Brazil's Ministry of Education recently made the decision that students returning from that country's summer break (remember, Brazil is in the southern hemisphere, so summer comes at exactly the opposite time of year as the one in the northern hemisphere does) should sing the national anthem, and that school staff should send footage of the children singing the national anthem to the ministry.

That is some Big Brother kind of stuff, is it not?

There was such an outrage over the decision, that the Ministry decided to back out of that.

"I recognize the error," Education Minister Ricardo Velez Rodriguez told reporters in Brasilia.

Well, good. However, the children and their parents are not out of it entirely. The Ministry decided to instruct school administrations to read a declaration to students, and this declaration included a campaign slogan used by none other than Bolsonaro. This is the slogan:

"Brazil above everything, God above everyone."

That is something that smacks of nationalism, and borders on fascist values. It would be a little bit like if the powers that be in Washington decided that a declaration that used Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan had to be read to American students.

In short, it clearly touches a nerve, and many feel it is yet one more instance of a creeping rise of fascism in Brazil. Perhaps a softer form of fascism, at least for the time being, but fascism nevertheless. 

Scary times we live in.

Brazil ministry to schools: recite Bolsonaro slogan Brazil's Ministry of Education touched off an uproar by instructing school administrators to read a declaration to students ending with a campaign slogan used by President Jair Bolsonaro by ANNA JEAN KAISER Associated PressRIO DE JANEIRO — Feb 26, 2019:


https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazil-ministry-tells-students-recite-bolsonaro-slogan-61329308

Oregon Makes History as First State to Tackle Skyrocketing Housing Prices Statewide Rent Control

We all know that the cost of living in the United States has been going up and up and up now for several decades. Obviously, that includes rent prices. All of this has happened while statistics traditionally reveal that wages are not keeping up.

For the first time, one state has taken action to contain the prices for housing, which has spiraled out of control.

Indeed, Oregon has seen rent rates increase by over 14 percent in recent years. It is especially bad in the largest city in the state, Portland, where rents have increased a whopping 30 percent in less than a decade.

Lawmakers felt it was time for action. 

In explaining this measure, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued a statement yesterday. Here is part of her statement:

“There is no single solution — not one entity, or one person — that can solve Oregon’s housing crisis. 

“This new legislation is one of many actions Oregon needs to take to address our housing crisis. While it will provide some immediate relief, we need to focus on building supply in order to address Oregon’s housing challenges for the long term.”

Here is the link to this story:

Oregon to Become First State to Impose Statewide Rent Control by Mihir Zaveri Feb. 26, 2019:


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/us/oregon-rent-control.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR36jY53NS1FEzHmj2ikcUiCC551X-wL9tBJQ416vh9gh70dd344IrOkk24