Everything but . . . September 4, 2020September 8, 2020 Begin with former Michigan governor Rick Snyder on why he remains a strong Republican — voting for Biden. And former Arizona senator Jeff Flake on why he is voting for Biden to save Conservatism. Things are scary. Putin is this close to winning the Second Cold War. And yet the human spirit, the drive for freedom and justice and decency never die. Three moving minutes. We just need to keep at it. But boy is some of this difficult — especially when it involves race. Have you listened to Nice White Parents . . . the tremendously thoughtful five-part podcast? Listen, also, to this nice black parent, Jacob Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson. If your son had been shot in the back seven times, would you have been able to summon the same grace? . . . As I have prayed for my son’s healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, I also have been praying, even before this, for the healing of our country. We are the United States. Have we been united? Do you understand what’s going to happen when we fall? Because a house that is against each other cannot stand. To all of the police officers, I’m praying for you and your families. To all of the citizens, my Black and brown sisters and brothers, I’m praying for you. I believe that you are an intelligent being just like the rest of us. Everybody, let’s use our hearts, our love, and our intelligence to work together to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other. America is great when we behave greatly. . . . And then there’s Melania & Me . . . a page-turner . . . Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man (once asked in the elevator by a curious neighbor why she didn’t live in Trump Tower, Judge Barry replied, “Have you met my brother?”) . . . Disloyal, out Tuesday, by Michael Cohen, who went to jail for crimes Trump directed him to commit . . . and Donald Trump v. The United States out next Friday. On the Covid front, The Media Has Us Thinking All Wrong — well worth the quick read. Testing is key, argues Atul Gawande in the New Yorker (“We could have the testing capacity we need within weeks. The reason we don’t is not simply that our national leadership is unfit but also that our health-care system is dysfunctional.”) . . . . . . though these Stanford and Harvard Medical School professors make the case against testing asymptomatic youth. . . . Sweden was the only major Western country that kept schools open for kids 15 and younger throughout the pandemic, with no masks or mass testing. How did it turn out? Zero Covid-19 deaths among 1.8 million children attending day care or school. Teachers didn’t have an excess infection risk compared with the average of other professions. . . . Pupils pose little risk of spreading Covid, argues Britain’s president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Medical advice from Warren Buffett, now in his tenth decade: “If I gave you a car, and it’d be the only car you get the rest of your life, you’d take care of it like you can’t believe. Any scratch, you’d fix that moment. You’d read the owner’s manual, and you’d keep a garage, and do all these things. And you get exactly one mind and one body in this world. And you can’t start taking care of it when you’re 50. By that time, you’ll rust it out, if you haven’t done anything. So you should really make sure that you just remember that you’ve just got one mind and body to get through life with, and to do the most with it.” And finally (the kitchen sink?) . . . Perspective from investment manager George Sykes: Over the past 32 years, America has had a Democratic President half the time (Obama/Clinton) and in a few months, half with a Republican President (Bush Sr, Bush Jr & Trump). Here are a few economic stats: Total job creation, +33.8 million with a Democratic President versus a LOSS of 2.5 million with a Republican. Secondly, the S&P 500 has massively outperformed with a Democratic President (+948% total return versus +129%). Lastly, the national debt grew by an extra $4.2 trillion with a Republican President (+$9.7 trillion vs +$13.9 trillion). I have voted for both parties in the past, but in this election, I have supported Biden from day one. I have no doubt Biden will take a major step towards de-escalating partisan tensions in this country — he’s a good man. And the massive economic outperformance under a Democratic President the past 32 years has been too large to ignore. Have a great weekend. Volunteer. Contribute. Recruit poll workers. Vote.