And Now A Few Words About Tyranny

But first a few about infrastructure.  I Amtrak-ed to DC this weekend, which — with Italian trains fresh in mind — made for quite a contrast.  A friend, responding, writes: “Don’t get me started about our infrastructure! While our only big infrastructure project is building a wall that will dampen economic growth, China (as I’m sure you know) is doing things like this.”

And a few about possible indictments — to the tune of “From Russia With Love.”  Two minutes you do not want to miss.

(My first instinct was to distance myself a bit — “obviously, all these people are presumed innocent until proven guilty” — which they are. But is it not already clear to anyone with a television that all of them, in positions of trust and gravity, have lied over and over?  That they are wrecking our government and abdicating our world leadership?  Yes, we now all have great health care at a tiny fraction of what we were paying under the Kenyan; and yes, there were some damn fine people marching with torches in Charlottesville; and, yes, he released his tax returns as soon as he won the nomination, as he said he “absolutely” would; and, yes, he kept a book of Hitler’s speeches by his bedside — but even so, are we not entitled to a couple of minutes of catharsis while we wait for this national tragedy to end?  Enjoy.)

And now a few words about tyranny:

From Jesse Kornbluth: “Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin.”

From Jesse Kornbluth, Part II:  “On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century on How to Survive in Trump’s America.”

I’m quite sure we will avoid any 21st Century equivalent — I inherited the happy gene, and humanity has come too far to repeat such mistakes.

And yet . . .

Even if you don’t have time to read the books Jesse recommends, his reviews are for sure worth your time.