Threat From The North June 13, 2018June 12, 2018 Did you see Dana Milbank in the Washington Post? Finally, A President With The Guts To Stand Up To Canada. Treat yourself. And if you’re interested in the metrics on youth voting, check out — and retweet? — this two-minute video. Cap Gown Vote!
Book Lists Compared June 12, 2018June 12, 2018 The only book we know for sure President Trump has read — indeed, kept by his bedside, if you believe his ex-wife — is My New Order, a 1941 compendium of Hitler’s speeches. By contrast, President Obama — who actually thought of Canada as an ally and Russia as the national security threat — read 100 books in just the years he was president. And then there was President Clinton’s extraordinary reading list. Now — from reading books to writing them — comes The President Is Missing, by President Clinton and James Patterson. I just finished 8.5 heart-clenching hours listening at 1.5X speed. Oh. My. It’s just fiction, of course. But you do get the distinct sense we have more to worry about than Canada.
The Weekday Vegetarian June 11, 2018June 10, 2018 On weekdays, he never eats anything with a face. Have you seen this under-four-minute TED talk? It could change your life. And while we’re talking food . . . of total inconsequence, but because some of expressed an interest in my expired-food hobby (Hiccups and Hangovers, Parts I and II) . . . I suppose I should raise the issue of “pairing.” You know? As our Santorini wine-tasting tour guide tried to teach us? In this case, however, it was not wine and fish, it was Hellman’s Lite Mayonnaise and fish cubes. Sunday, I grabbed a half-pound of frozen fish cubes “best used by 11/4/16” . . . microwaved for a minute and then simmered in a frying until golden brown . . . and then paired them with until-recently-unrefrigerated mayonnaise “best used by January 31, 2017.” Not even three months apart. Really good. Watch the afore-linked TED talk!
Hiccups And Hangovers, Redux – And Freegans! June 8, 2018June 8, 2018 Two sealed quarts of yogurt sat in a fridge, one dated October 11, 2015, the other July 17, 2017. Which to choose? I was looking for something to blend cocoa powder into — I only Cook Like A Guy™, but even a guy can dump cocoa powder into yogurt — and decided to be sensible and use the older one first. The minute I tasted it I knew I had made a mistake — it needed sweetener. Plain yogurt and plain cocoa powder? C’mon! So I added Erithrytol, (available here, if you want to try it). I won’t lie to you and say it was the best thing I ever ate, but how many things are? Next time, maybe a little lighter on the cocoa powder, a little heavier on the Erithrytol. Cooking is an art, not a science. (Baking, I’m told, is a science but I use my oven for storage.) I’m telling you this because I had a nice response to Friday’s Hiccups and Hangovers post. ▹ Erich Almasy: “When you don’t have lime and salt or eggs, sit up and raise your arms straight in the air above your head. Stretches the diaphragm which stops the source of hiccups. Preventing hangovers: half a glass of milk and two aspirin before sleep. Has never failed.” ▹ Mike Rutkaus: “Congrats on the Egg Beaters. I should have documented this, but I had good never-frozen unopened always-refrigerated paper carton buttermilk at least three, maybe four years old.” ▹ Tom Bolger: “Good advice on the Advil after drinking and before bed. I would contend that most hangover symptoms are caused by dehydration. As such, one should drink at least 8 oz of water with that Advil, preferably 16+ oz. And another 16+ oz on the nightstand. Yes, this will likely cause a trip to the bathroom way before you’re ready to get up but it will also allow you to drink additional water in the middle of the night to rehydrate so you might not have to take more Advil in the morning.” Just when I was about to despair that no women care about hangovers or fine cuisine, Tom Foley, though not a woman himself, directed me to this that I assumed, as I started reading, had been written by a man. But no! “A bit, well, raw,” Tom warned — I’ll say! (so I’m warning you, too) — “but thought you might enjoy.” Indeed: “How I Became the Dumpster Dog (or, How I Saved $30,000 in 8 Months).” I learned a new term: “freegan.” And signed up for her raunchy, funny, money-saving blog. And then, on a roll of sorts, Tom also recommended this compelling review of Jessica Bruder’s wonderful NOMADLAND: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the book I’m listening to now, that you might enjoy this weekend. An apt companion to Hillbilly Elegy. Have a great weekend, whatever you read. Wear sunscreen! Commit to vote! And, in the blanket admonition of my late great mother (I just feel the need to throw this in), “Don’t do anything strange.”
Minority Rules June 7, 2018June 7, 2018 As to how Republicans control Congress even though more people vote Democrat . . . . . . many people now know this was the brainchild of former insurance industry lobbyist Chris Jankowski. I’ve previously linked to Ratf*cked, the book that tells the tale. (In 2012, Democrats got 84,000 more votes than Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Congressional races — yet only 5 of the 18 seats. Republicans, with fewer voters wanting them in office, got 13.) But now comes this must-listen Planet Money podcast that tells the tale even more vividly, and with Jankowski’s own, unapologetic voice. (Sure, they torpedoed a Maine legislator’s race by saying he voted to ban July 4th fireworks when in fact he was the only one who didn’t. But is lying even an issue for Republicans any more?) Jankowski’s website offers to “stack the deck in your favor” and notes that he helped thwart President Obama’s nomination to fill the Scalia vacancy on the Supreme Court. (The rationale? It wasn’t enough to see whom the people favored in 2008 and 2012; it was only fair to wait to see who they favored in 2016. Which was the Democrat by millions of votes, despite Putin’s best efforts. But that still wasn’t enough to get Merrick Garland his seat on the Court.) As to our minority-elected President . . . . . . forget Democrats; listen to Republicans: Colin Powell: Trump is “a national disgrace and an international pariah.” Marco Rubio: “A dangerous con man.” Carly Fiorina: “A man who seems to only feel big when he’s trying to make other people feel small.” Bobby Jindal: “An unserious and unstable narcissist.” Mitt Romney: “A phony . . . playing the American public for suckers.” Ted Cruz: “A pathological liar [and a] narcissist.” Karl Rove: “A complete idiot . . . graceless and divisive.” Lindsey Graham: “A race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot . . . undercutting everything we stand for.” 51 Former GOP National Security Officials: “Not qualified . . . dangerous.” And this was before they — and we, and our allies around the world — found out how much worse he would be than they imagined. House and Senate Republicans have put their paychecks, perks, and power above their country. Trump has cowed them into submission. There is a solution to these nightmares. Vote. And if you can afford it, fuel the turnout.
It’s Hurricane Season, Though Maybe Not For WheelTug June 6, 2018June 6, 2018 This site, as long time readers know, boasts one the world’s most distinguished consulting meteorologists, Bryan Norcross. “Bryan,” I will frequently say, “Is it going to be nice this weekend?” Or, “Bryan, how do I get my stupid TV to work?” (He is a consulting tech-support guru, and just about everything else, too. How smart he is would be annoying, if it didn’t so often come in handy.) If hurricanes affect your life, or you’re just interested in the science of them, you’ll find his latest piece at the Washington Post of interest. The bottom line: hurricane forecasts are getting ever more accurate, which is good — except for the ones that aren’t, that suddenly strengthen unexpectedly just before they hit. WheelTug’s dormant competitor, Safran, an industry giant, seems to be re-emerging. That might seem ominous — like the unexpected strengthening of a tropical storm. But it may actually be good news. For one thing, it continues to validate the general concept: airplanes should be able to taxi without a tug. For another, if this article (and its translation from the original French) is accurate, Safran “has renounced to equip the 737 Boeing.” (Their motors are too big.) That leaves a great many “737 Boeings” for WheelTug to power. To the extent airlines do go with Safran for the Airbus, it should incentivize competitors to lease WheelTug for their 737s so as not to be left behind. But I wouldn’t count on many airlines choosing Safran over Wheeltug for the Airbus. Their system weighs a great deal more than ours. And it hugs the main landing gear, whose red-hot brakes need to cool down before the next flight can begin (which may make FAA approval more of a challenge as well). Also, Safran’s solution permanently modifies the aircraft, as I understand it, so is more of a commitment. Ours can be installed — or UNinstalled — during a couple of overnights in the hangar. Finally there are patents. Who knows how that would play out; but WheelTug has a lot of them, both product and process. More than 20 airlines have queued up to lease the WheelTug system compared to the 1 customer Safran seems ready to announce at Farnborough next month. (Visit WheelTug in Hall 4, #4465!) So we have a lead there, too, at least for now. None of this may ever work out for the long-suffering shareholders of grandparent Borealis — or for Safran, for that matter. But at its current price, and despite the unwillingness of many brokers these days to initiate trades in it, BOREF remains the most compelling lottery ticket I’ve ever seen. To be bought only with money you can truly afford to lose, and only with “limit orders” so you don’t accidentally pay twice what you expected to. If you own some, hang on.
Today Is The Primary June 5, 2018June 4, 2018 Do you listen to The Daily? The New York Times podcast Michael Barbaro hosts? Too lazy to open my eyes in the morning, I’ll often say, “Alexa, play The Daily,” and up it comes. Most are really good. Friday’s — When Democratic Newcomers Challenge the Party Line — highlighted the drama being played out today in California, and that’s often played out elsewhere: Should “the party” attempt to “clear the field” for the candidate it thinks has the best chance of winning? Or is that an affront to the democratic process? I recently heard from ultra-liberal friends who would normally fall into the latter camp; yet they were disgusted and angry at the situation in California, where so many good Democrats are running today they may split the vote and let two Republicans emerge as the general election candidates. (California doesn’t have separate primaries; the two primary candidates who get the most votes, regardless of party, become the general election candidates.) How could the party let this happen? Somebody ought to do something! In fact, someone has. (To no avail.) But to see this from the perspective of Mai Khanh Tran — one of the spectacular candidates it was done to — and to understand how she feels, and how tough this is every time it becomes an issue, listen to the podcast. There are no bad guys in this story. Yes, I wish Dr. Tran had dropped out. But it’s very hard not to sympathize with her for staying in. Yes, the party was right — in my view, and even, I guess, in the view of my ultra-liberal friends — to try to assure we flip this seat from red to blue. If we should lose this seat today (i.e., if the top two vote-getters are Republicans), and then miss taking back the House by just one seat in November, then we’d have another Ralph Nader moment — the arc of the moral universe tragically, needlessly set back by someone who didn’t mean to. Having inherited the happy gene, I don’t think it will happen. But the podcast puts this all into very human terms. It will be interesting to watch tonight’s returns.
Puff — The Magic Yarrow June 4, 2018June 2, 2018 No, as he will tell you, Puff is not about weed. Puff is about — like pretty much everything Peter Yarrow touches — love. At 80, he’s as engaged as ever. Maybe more than ever, given today’s threats. Herewith, his 80th-birthday post this past Thursday: Dear all, friends and allies, I just finished writing this and I’m too tired to review and correct mistakes – yet because my birthday began only a few hours ago, and because I want to share it with you on my actual birthday, please forgive my mistakes and omissions and know how much I deeply appreciate and love you. On the occasion of my 80th birthday, I’m reflecting on many things, including how fortunate I am to have been able to share almost 50 years with Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, following a path blazed by Pete Seeger, combining our music with passionate advocacy for justice and equity and peace in “the good fight.” I am convinced that it was our mutual sense of purpose that allowed us to stay together for almost 50 years. [THEIR GREATEST ALBUM? ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS EVER? ALBUM 1700. — A.T.] Remarkably, however — for many reasons, some wonderful and some horrific and a product of the woes of these incredibly difficult and frightening times — the work that the trio shared continues ever more intensely in my life. The challenges we face today desperately need the kind of spirit that was shared, musically and in other ways, in the 1960s when songs of conscience were an essential part of the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and later movements that sprang from these. It was the Civil Rights Movement that taught our generation that ordinary people standing in solidarity, not necessarily people of power and wealth, could change the course of history. Conversely, we now see that the failure of people to stand together for decency and goodness can change the course of history in disastrous ways. For me, being 80 does not mean that I am relishing the time to reflect and smell the roses. Rather, it is a time when, with greatest urgency, I feel compelled to join today’s struggle, that is in some ways unprecedented, so that I might help save our nation’s soul, its democratic institutions, and try to preserve fairness and justice that is under extreme attack. It might seem strange to you that I’m not writing, at this point in my letter, an advocacy for “my perspective” on the issues, which of course I continue to do. More importantly, I am working most hard with an organization (better described as a movement) known as Better Angels, which seeks to bring oppositional voters together, not to change anyone’s political perspective, but in ways in which they come to realize (through powerful, honest, respectful exchanges) that the vast majority of Americans, from both sides, are rational, caring, and approachable, and that we all want the best for our country. I’m close to finishing a documentary, co-produced with Jim Brown the amazing documentary director who gave us Pete Seeger’s “The Power of Song” and three PBS pledge specials with Peter Paul and Mary, including our most recent “50 Years with Peter Paul and Mary”. Together, we traveled to Lebanon Ohio, a small Rust Belt town that voted 80% for Donald Trump, to film the second-ever Better Angels workshop. What we captured on tape was a group of 15 Republicans and Democrats who, prior to this meeting, were willing, though skeptical and anxious, to even speak to one another. However, through the success of the interactive platform created by Dr. Bill Doherty, co-founder of Better Angels, the participants discovered that not only did they truly like each other as people, no matter their opposing political beliefs, but they also found that all agreed much more than they disagreed on basic values and their vision for America. This came out of 13 hours of exchanges. This workshop that we documented, now shortened to 6 hours rather than 13, helped validate and launch an effort that today has resulted in over 100 Better Angels workshop gatherings throughout America with over 100 moderators and trainers who are spreading the gospel of, “We can agree to disagree on some things, yet we can still respect and honor each other.” My thesis is that we must, absolutely must, come together in this way or our country is in jeopardy as a democracy and a place of good will. This Better Angels documentary will be shown on PBS (date tba) with the sponsor station gratefully being TPT, the Twin Cities’ PBS flagship station in the Midwest. If you want to give me a great birthday present, please go to www.better-angels.com and find out what they are doing — because any of you could become a trainer or a participant at the workshops and thereby help save America from being incapacitated by the vitriol, mistrust, fear, and hatred that has emerged powerfully in our midst. There might well come a time where we must, absolutely must, stand together or watch the very essence of our ethical morality as a nation collapse. For example, if a law gets enacted that makes it the case that all those who have been deported, if they return illegally, will be put in detention camps and potentially subjected to “extraordinary rendition”, meaning torture. Under ordinary circumstances, I am convinced that our nation would rise up as one to forbid this law’s implementation but, today, the issue would be politicized and both sides would likely go along with the party with which they identify. Morality and immorality would be trumped by party loyalty. This is, in a word, part of how nations become tyrannical; people are too divided, too fearful, and too mistrustful to be able to unite to do the right thing even though the law violates the essence of their own history or their country’s ethical traditions. This kind of division is part of the reason that a previously enlightened Germany became Nazi Germany. Most recently, I have begun organizing an effort that might turn out to be the most important one I have attempted in many a year. It’s a long story but, in essence, a week ago I traveled to Parkland with a group of 12 activist singer-songwriters. This group, among others, included my daughter Bethany Yarrow, two members of The Peace Poets, a Black Lives Matter singer-songwriter-organizer now living in St. Louis, a Native American political activist-performer/songwriter, Steve Seskin (who wrote “Don’t Laugh at Me” with his brilliant and caring songwriting partner, Allen Shamblin), David Broza (the quintessential Israeli peace activist and co-creator of Operation Respect in Israel, which is used by 63% of the school counselors in Israeli schools, both Arab as well as Jewish). Each of these writers has an impressive profile but the fact is I invited only songwriter-performers who prioritized music of conscience over music as entertainment. All of them are deeply committed to using their music to build community and bring common voice to those who want to stand up for justice and humanity. The results, as people will soon see, include the creation of a 13 songs and chants over two days, not written by the songwriters, but written by the students themselves. And the results are incredible. Mark my words; beyond the advocacy carried by the Parkland students, we shall soon see song-writing and music connected to many movement efforts in ways that are reminiscent of the 1960s. At least that is my hope. It is the children and the youth, I believe, as well as the brave women of our nation, who are leading the way by inspiring the kind of commitment that might, we can only pray, deliver us from the frightening possibilities ahead of us. Of course, over the past 20 years, as some of you might know, there is an organization called Operation Respect that has a classroom-based program called ”Don’t Laugh at Me”, after the song mentioned above, that inspired the creation of this educational non-profit. It is an effort that has reached over 22,000 schools in America, over 63% of the schools, both Arab and Jewish, in Israel, has traveled to Palestine, to Ukraine to Hong Kong, to Croatia, to Mexico as well as other foreign nations. Although “Don’t Laugh at Me’ and its social-emotional classroom based program is mainly regarded as an anti-bullying effort, the truth is that long before bullying, rudeness, and mean-spirited behavior reached the highest levels of leadership in our American government, Operation Respect was working to create school environments in which children honored and valued each other’s character, kindness, and service to one another over money, fame, and material things. Yes, Operation Respect is an anti-bullying organization, but it addresses this by helping to create a loving, caring environment where bullying and cruelty, by common consent of the students, is diminished if not all but eradicated. Having said all this I can only tell you that my life has become, in large part, a continued series of events in which I participate, or events I help to organize, like the Unity Concert for the return of the Black Hills, created in large part by my daughter Bethany. Another time we traveled to Standing Rock where her voice helped give our first Americans the courage and sense of support they needed to carry on. There is also my son, Christopher, whom I have often referred to as the most loving, generous person I have ever known, who sings and plays the washtub bass with me at concerts with such love and respect that the audience frequently tells me that the highlight of the show was seeing the relationship that Christopher and I share. The list of reasons for my gratitude include the formidable words that have been written and spoken by my granddaughter who is a force of nature at the age of 11, who writes with such beauty and power that she gives me hope whenever I am in need of it. In sum, I am more committed and more dedicated and working harder than ever before in my life and I could not be more grateful for all of that, even though I know that I have to back off somewhat, sometime soon because, as you know, I am turning 80 today and, as a good organizer I’ve got to, as Pete Seeger instructed me to take care of myself, or, he warned, he would consider me to be a deeply flawed organizer. So, happy birthday to me, and my thanks and gratitude go out to many, many, many whom I have met and with whom I have walked these four score years. To the greatest influence in my life, the one who loved me most as a child and to whom I owe all I possess that is good in me, to my mother Vera Yarrow, I want to remember you in this moment. I am you; I carry on where you left off, as will my daughter, son, and granddaughter after me. I honor you and all that you gave me, although I never saw you with any objectivity or any real understanding until you were gone. Thankfully, in many ways you are more with me now than you were in life. I am blessed. With love and great gratitude, Peter Now that, I would say, is a life well lived. And he ain’t done.
Sunday Special: John Brennan and the Weekly List June 3, 2018 There are not enough days in the week, and I already have tomorrow’s post teed up, so here’s a bonus at no extra cost to you: First, John Brennan’s op-ed in the Washington Post, which I posted on Facebook and Twitter as well. It’s a must-read, must (respectfully and gently) share with friends and family on Trump’s team (but perhaps knowing, deep down, something’s wrong here). Second, Amy Siskind’s Weekly List — subtitled “This Is How Democracy Dies” — on-line and up-to-date for free, or memorialized in book form as reviewed here. (“Every norm broken, every conflict of interest flaunted, every institution degraded, every truth casually disregarded: Siskind wants us to remember them all. She fears the risks of forgetting, of just letting things slide.”) John Brennan: I will speak out until integrity returns to the White House My first visit to the Oval Office came in October 1990, when I was a 35-year-old CIA officer. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait two months before, and President George H.W. Bush wanted to discuss the implications of a U.S.-led military coalition that would ultimately push the Iraqis out. I remember the nervousness I felt when I entered that room and met a president of the United States for the first time. By the time the meeting ended, his intellectual curiosity, wisdom, affability and intense interest in finding the best policy course to protect and promote U.S. interests were abundantly evident. Over the next quarter-century, I returned to the Oval Office several hundred times during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The jitters that accompanied my first Oval Office visit dissipated over time, but the respect, awe and admiration I held for the office of the presidency and the incumbents never waned. The presidents I directly served were not perfect, and I didn’t agree with all of their policy choices. But I never doubted that each treated their solemn responsibility to lead our nation with anything less than the seriousness, intellectual rigor and principles that it deserved. Many times, I heard them dismiss the political concerns of their advisers, saying, “I don’t care about my politics, it’s the right thing to do.” The esteem with which I held the presidency was dealt a serious blow when Donald Trump took office. Almost immediately, I began to see a startling aberration from the remarkable, though human, presidents I had served. Mr. Trump’s lifelong preoccupation with aggrandizing himself seemed to intensify in office, and he quickly leveraged his 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. address and his Twitter handle to burnish his brand and misrepresent reality. Presidents throughout the years have differed in their approaches to policy, based on political platforms, ideologies and individual beliefs. Mr. Trump, however, has shown highly abnormal behavior by lying routinely to the American people without compunction, intentionally fueling divisions in our country and actively working to degrade the imperfect but critical institutions that serve us. Although appalling, those actions shouldn’t be surprising. As was the case throughout his business and entertainment careers, Mr. Trump charts his every move according to a calculus of how it will personally help or hurt him. His strategy is to undercut real, potential and perceived opponents; his focus is to win at all costs, irrespective of truth, ethics, decency and — many would argue — the law. His disparagement of institutions is designed to short-circuit legitimate law enforcement investigations, intelligence assessments and media challenges that threaten his interests. His fear of the special counsel’s work is especially palpable, as is his growing interest in destroying its mandate. For more than three decades, I observed and analyzed the traits and tactics of corrupt, incompetent and narcissistic foreign officials who did whatever they thought was necessary to retain power. Exploiting the fears and concerns of their citizenry, these demagogues routinely relied on lies, deceit and suppression of political opposition to cast themselves as populist heroes and to mask self-serving priorities. By gaining control of intelligence and security services, stifling the independence of the judiciary and discrediting a free press, these authoritarian rulers followed a time-tested recipe for how to inhibit democracy’s development, retard individual freedoms and liberties, and reserve the spoils of corrupt governance for themselves and their ilk. It never dawned on me that we could face such a development in the United States. On the international front, Mr. Trump pursues policies that are rooted in uninformed campaign promises, a determination to upend actions of his predecessors and an aversion to multilateral engagements. His ad hoc and frequently impulsive approach to national security is short-sighted and dangerous, as allies and partners are left uncertain about U.S. strategy and objectives. The impact of the Trump presidency will be felt for many years to come. Most worrisome is that his use of falsehoods, his mean-spirited and malicious behavior, and his self-absorption will be emulated by many young Americans — indeed, young people globally — who look to the president of the United States as a role model. The damage also will be felt by the millions of Americans who believe in Mr. Trump because of their concern about being left behind in a rapidly changing globalized world. These Americans have a legitimate gripe that politicians and political parties of all stripes have failed to deliver on the promise that America is the land of opportunity for all, irrespective of race, creed or place of residence. At a time when deep-seated fears of socioeconomic and cultural change need to be addressed honestly and without prejudice, Mr. Trump grandstands like a snake-oil salesman, squandering his formidable charisma and communication skills in favor of ego, selfishness and false promises. Many have condemned my public criticism of Mr. Trump, arguing that as a former CIA director, I should bite my tongue. My criticisms, however, are not political; I have never been and will never be a partisan. I speak out for the simple reason that Mr. Trump is failing to live up to the standards that we should all expect of a president. As someone who had the rare privilege of directly serving four presidents, I will continue to speak out loudly and critically until integrity, decency, wisdom — and maybe even some humility — return to the White House. Thank you, Mr. Former CIA Director. Check out Amy Suskind’s list, linked above, if you can bear to. Tomorrow: another American hero. Reflections on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
The Case For Composting June 2, 2018June 1, 2018 It’s compelling, to say the least — David Buckel self-immolated to bring it to your attention. Here’s a simple guide to get you started. New York City is among those enabling this for apartment dwellers. (My building recycles compostables; it makes me very happy.) Boston offers a handy guide of its own. And because composting is about working together in sensible ways to preserve our miraculous little spaceship, here’s a 48-second political ad I found only vaguely related, but uplifting. Remember good old-fashioned decency? Civility? Citizenship? Norms? Compromise? Values? Eloquence? Modesty? Generosity of spirit? Bipartisanship? Just sayin’. Have a great weekend!