In the News

In the News, Fall 2019

Aug 25, 2019

In the News Spring – Summer 2019

May 12, 2019

Class Warfare:  Winners and Losers  The media are full of shocking stories of income inequality.  While the median household income continues to drop, the wealth of the richest continues to rise.  The income of the top 0.01% has skyrocketed, the income of the upper middle class has gone up a little, but lower and middle class incomes have fallen.  In California, upper crust wages were 72% higher than the median income.  Remember when America was the place where you could go from rags to riches?  That fairy tale is over.  But if you are already very rich, there is a good chance you can become filthy rich.  The 25 top managers of hedge funds earned $11 billion in 2016. For these tycoons, it scarcely mattered if their returns were ugly. How does it feel when the CEO in your company earns in 2 hours what you earn in a year?  Disney CEO Bob Iger got an 80% pay raise this year.  He now earns $65 million a year, 1,424 times the salary of his employees.  Even Disney heir Abagail Disney (net worth $500 million) called this “naked indecency.”  But her worth is peanuts compared to Bloomberg’s estimate of the $163 billion worth of the Walmart heirs. (Think of that every time you buy something at Walmart.)  In Britain, they are fighting back with “name and shame” the executives with outlandish incomes.  Britain now has a public register which lists lavish salaries and their ratios to the salaries of workers in their company.  Surprisingly, there is even some blowback from the 1%.  As 5000 of the world’s richest gathered at a Beverly Hilton conference, they were warned about looming class warfare.  The free enterprise system is not working and only a few are benefiting.  According to the LAT, the message for Capitalism is: “Reform or Revolution.”

Self-Destruction in Britain  Have you been watching the downward spiral of what was once a great nation?  The politics of “No” has permeated every level of government and society.  Political chaos, social distrust, and signs of collapse everywhere (America take note).

Robo Call Alert One thing politicians say they agree on is the need to do something about robo calls. Unfortunately, robo callers remain a few steps ahead of any attempts to regulate them.  The head of one company called YouMail says he makes 2.3 billion calls a month.  Robocallers from Uzbekistan can make it look like your neighbor is calling.  When you suspect a robo call, answer but remain silent. Most robo calls are simultaneous multiple dials which are voice activated and will quickly drop you if you don’t activate it. Here is how to rebel or retaliate.

Who Assesses Trump’s Mental Health?  The 25^th Amendment empowers Congress to assess a president’s mental health.  But who can decide or agree upon a clinical judgment?  There is plenty of speculation that Trump is mentally ill, but no one seems to know what to do.

Click here.

Big Tobacco Hooks Children on Sugar Drinks  When the walls were closing in on tobacco, Big Tobacco diversified into another form of addiction: sugary drinks.  They used their expertise in selling addiction to make sugar drinks attractive to children. A third of American children are now considered obese or overweight, and rates of Type 2 diabetes are soaring.  “We’ve decided to focus our marketing on kids,” boasted a Kool-Aid executive. (Kool-Aid is part of General Foods which is owned by RJR Tobacco.)

The Drug Industry Spends Lavishly not only to influence doctors but also with paid ads targeting the public.  Drug advertising has risen by 70% according to the American Medical Association.  Drug companies now spend $30 billion a year to push their drugs.

The Eyeglasses Scam Getting ripped off on eyewear? Tired of bloated eyewear pricing? These are the headlines of an expose by LAT writer David Lazaus. After Italy’s Luxottica merged with France’s Essilor there is very little competition in eyewear and price gouging is the rule.  Luxottica (owner of Lens Crafters) owns almost all of the brands you can buy. The founder of Lens Crafters admitted that the best designer frames and lenses cost about $15, everything above is gouging.

Why Are Tourists Flocking to Bhutan?  A centuries old tradition in Bhutan is to celebrate the phallus. They are painted on walls, carved over doorway entrances, and worn as necklaces to ward off evil. Phallus art is thriving in Bhutan!

Beware, The Grannies Are Marching!   Last month we celebrated teenagers who are taking up social protest.  Now the Grannies are Marching.  In Vienna, Grannies are holding weekly protest marches, mostly against the rise of right wing Fascism.  Maybe the Grannies of the US should get organized?

Fascism on the Rise  LAT reporter Scott Timberg writes that democracies are falling victim to the allure of authoritarianism.  Formerly secret groups are now more open and brazen, and publishers are releasing many new titles claiming that the public is getting more interested in fascism. Even Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, has a new book Fascism: A Warning. Look at what is happening in Turkey, Venezuela, Russia, North Korea, Hungary, Poland, and the Philippines.  She asks, can it happen here? 

The Great Republican War on Democracy  This is the disturbing title of an Op-Ed by Jamelle Bouie.  Paul Krugman has a similar piece, “The Great Republican Abdication: A party that no longer believes in American values.” Republican advisor Scott Jennings explains that Republicans will never quit Trump – the former Republican Party is now the Trump Party.

Click here and here.

What Country Develops the Most Sport Champions?  In the Winter Olympics Games, Norway has won more medals than any other country. The score:  Norway, 39 (population 5.3 million), United States 23 (population 328 million).  The secret is surprising: Norway lets Children be Children (that is the headline of the paper edition of the study).  Compare the way Norway raises its children and the way America raises its children.

What Countries Are the Happiest?  The first four are Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland.  USA came in 19^th.  See the whole list:

The Kansas Experiment Ends in Failure  Remember all the conservative Republican ballyhoo about the marvels of supply side economics?  Slash taxes (especially for the rich).  Slash government spending!  Kansas Republican governor Sam Brownback championed this policy slashing taxes more than any other state.  The Republican legislature slavishly followed his wishes and the result was a disaster for the state.  Brownback (now out of office) became even more unpopular than Donald Trump and New Jersey’s Chris Christie.

Israel Successfully Fires Missile Designed to be Hidden in Shipping Containers The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries has successfully test fired is LORA missile.  It is designed to be concealed in a standard shipping container.  It can launch a 3500 lb. projectile 250 miles within t0 minutes of opening.  This system can convert any civilian vessel into a missile launching platform. The price is unclear as is who the customers will be but think of this as you watch the ships near the horizon (about 17 miles away).  There are over 50,000 cargo ships registered to 150 nations.  A medium-sized cargo ship can carry 1,000 containers. The Port of Los Angeles is the #1 container port in the country logging 9.5 million containers.  Shipping companies lose track of about 1,500 containers a year.  What could possibly go wrong?

Humans Origins and Extinctions A new 1,500 page report by international scientific experts paints a grim future for life on planet Earth.  As many as one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction because one species (homo sapiens) continues to plunder ecosystems.  As long as human beings are around, it appears other forms of life will suffer.    As for our origins, new fossils question the standard theory that modern humans drifted out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Fossils in China, Australia, and Saudi Arabia suggest that homo sapiens may have started their migrations much earlier.

Learn How Insignificant You Are  Surprise! The universe has 10 times more galaxies than previously thought!  The Hubble Space Telescope reports that there are about 2 trillion galaxies in the cosmos. Each galaxy may have 100 million stars. There are probably 19,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars similar to ours with at least one planet similar to Earth. Even our own Milky Way probably has 40 billion Earth-sized planets.  Scientists say that the key to understanding the universe is to study supermassive black holes. The good news is that none is close enough to suck up our entire solar system and make it disappear. The bad news is that there are so many black holes that it is impossible to count them.  Some of the biggest black holes (300 million light years away) may have gobbled up 21 billion suns.  To understand how insignificant our species is, consider a 2 hour documentary film about life on Earth.  Footage about human beings would take up the last 2 seconds.   The way we are going, how long will we  be around?  Some scientists specular that this is our last century.

The News in Brief

            New Trump plan to reduce poverty: change how you define poverty. This would allow him to achieve his goal of taking away health care and food assistance from millions of Americans….The Pentagon has spent $300 billion on anti-missile defense but half of the tests have failed, even when there is only one incoming missile and the “defense” knew in advance the timing and location of the missile….Rhode Island has initiated a “lunch shaming program.”  Poor students who can’t pay could receive nothing other than jelly sandwiches to embarrass them in front of all the other students….Trump picked a Kathleen White to head of the Council on Environmental Quality even after she said that carbon dioxide is harmless and renewable energy is parasitic.  Then Trump picked a coal lobbyist to head the EPA and a Boeing executive to be Secretary of Defense in spite of allegations of ethics violations. White was eventually dropped but the other two now control EPA and DOD….The 20 warmest years on record have all come in the last 22 years….The F-35 fighter jets cost $100 million each….Since plastics were invented, over 9 billion tons have been produced. Up to 14 million tons of it wind up in the ocean every year….The ban on plastics straws? Devin Nunes  retorts: “Welcome to Socialism in California!” Meanwhile, the Conservative Politicial Action Conference warns America that the Democrats are coming after your hamburgers, “just like Stalin!” ….The Justice Dept. announced that it will no longer defend prohibitions against female genital mutilations.  Your Justice Dept. has also stopped defending the Affordable Care Act and instead now attacks it….The Pentagon says it has killed only 108 civilians in bombing and drone attacks in Africa and Asia. The non-profit group Airwars says your tax dollars killed somewhere between 800-1,700 civilians….Economists say that declining wages are not because of automation. Rather they are caused but the current political environment which is deeply hostile to labor.  Let’s face it, says Paul Krugman, our system is rigged against workers….Facebook has been selling sensitive user health information.  A tool called Flo Health allows women to predict when they ovulate. Results are secretly reported back to Facebook which then sells the information to advertisers who then target her for products.  Users are not informed and there is no way they can stop the data transfer….In the U.S., a gun is stolen every 2 minutes.  There are now over 400 million guns in the country….On the brighter side of things, a group of astronomers on April 10 successfully photographed a black hole near the center of the Milky Way. This particular black hole has the gravitational mass of 4 million suns that have disappeared from the visible universe.

In the News Winter 2019

Jan 5, 2019

In the News Winter 2019

Trump Imperils the Planet  In an editorial by the same name, the NYT lambasts the environmental record of the President.

The Decline of California Republicans  A big full page story in the NYT begins with “The California Republican Party…is teetering on the brink of irrelevance.”     And on Jan. 3, a Republican analyst posted this Op-Ed entitled Trump’s Damage to Republicans.  

U.S. Gun Deaths Soar, Especially Among Children  About 40,000 Americans died in 2017 from firearms, about two-thirds being suicides.  Much is not known about the issue because in 1996 the NRA successfully pressured Congress to block the Center for Disease Control from funding any studies about firearms and prohibited the agency from advocating gun control. Today, the Republicans continue to block gun control legislation. Dr. Garen Wintemute, an emergency medicine doctor at UC Davis said that the rise in firearms deaths was a result of “a national unwillingness to take this problem seriously.”  The NRA has tried to intimidate doctors by mocking those who treat gunshot victims:  “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.”  Meanwhile, firearms are one of the leading causes of childhood death in the U.S.  American children are 80 times more likely to die from firearms than children in Hungary, Sweden, Tajikistan, and Romania.

Hate Crimes on the Increase In a worrisome new trend, hate crimes, anti-semitism, and crimes based on sexual orientation continued to rise in 2018. White supremacist groups are flourishing and schools report more and more incidents of swastikas, sex stereotypes, and Holocaust insults.  Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism says, “We used to look at hate crimes as individual pathology. But now, social media has amplified and weaponize our divisions.”

Republicans Join Far Right Extremists in Mocking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  When this New York representative, the youngest ever women elected to Congress, was sworn in, Republicans rudely booed her.  A far right conspiracy tweeter posted this:  “Here is America’s favorite commie know-it-all acting like the clueless nitwit she is.”  Republicans were incensed when Occasio-Cortez supported a colleague who used a swear word to criticize Trump,  Occasio-Cortez responded:   “Republican hypocrisy at its finest: saying that Trump admitting to sexual assault on tape is just ‘locker room talk,’ but scandalizing themselves into faux-outrage when my sis says a curse word in a bar. The GOP lost entitlement to policing women’s behavior a long time ago. Next.”  

The Trump Tax Cut:  90% of Americans Will End Up Poorer  Trump promised soaring investments, waves of pay increases, and a tax cut that would pay for itself.  None of this happened.  Yes, corporations became richer but they used it for stock buybacks rather than wage increases.   To make matters worse, the Republicans have gutted the IRS and filled it full of loopholes, all of which mainly benefits the very rich.

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson  According to an LAT Op-Ed,  both Donald Trump and his grandfather were both draft dodgers.  

Price-fixing of Generic Drugs Generic drugs were supposed to be a boon to consumers who are tired of getting ripped off by drug companies, right? Wrong.  Investigators have discovered wide spread collusion and price fixing in 47 states.  

What is the Happiest Town in the World? 

Does Everyone Have a Moral Duty to Leave Facebook?  The director of the Center for Bioethics at NYU poses this question.  Many are slow to grasp the radicalization of the internet and how it has changed society.  Social media have played a key role in the rise of violent right-wing extremism and we now know that it may have resulted in the election of Donald Trump.  The internet is a playground for powerful unprincipled people who want your money, your identity, your values, and they want to tell you how to vote. Facebook wants you to think it is your indispensable friend when in fact it is a juggernaut behemoth specializing in deceiving you and using you.  Recently revealed troves of emails show how FB executives using every cutthroat tactic possible to crush critics and competitors and to conceal their methods. Staff meetings often ended with chants of “Domination! Domination!”  FB sells your identity, everything you say, and every picture so it can be used for facial recognition.  It has become the poster boy for harvesting data, selling personal information for profit, and being deliberately deceptive and untrustworthy. FB allowed companies to search all customers and their friends without permission.  FB paved the way for others to invade our computers.  Now we learn that the Russian used a vast network of internet trolls on Instagram (owned by FB) to infiltrate American identity groups for the purpose of swaying them, usually in more extremist directions.  People uncritically soaked it up.  The Russians got 185 million “likes.”  In another example, it was recently charged that The Weather Channel secretly sold users identities and locations without permission.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/24/opinion/sunday/facebook-immoral.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/technology/russian-interference-instagram.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/technology/facebook-emails-privacy-data.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/24/opinion/sunday/facebook-twitter-terrorism-extremism.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/opinion/facebook-data-privacy-advertising.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/us/politics/facebook-data-sharing-deals.html

Right Wing Hackers Attack German Government  Three years ago, Russian hackers broke into  the German Parliament computer network. Germany responded by increasing cyber security but on Jan. 4, 1000 members of Parliament plus many other prominent Germans found that all of their personal information (phone numbers, email addresses, bank accounts, addresses, private chats, photos of their children) were now on Twitter. Those revealed had at some point in their lives been critical of the right wing.  The only people spared in this Twitter attack were the politicians of the far right wing.  Who could have possibly done this? Duh. 

Sinclair Broadcasting Features Trump Fake News  PEW research reports that 37% of Americans rely on local TV news, almost as much as the 45% who get their “news” from Facebook (only 18% read daily newspapers). Sinclair Broadcasting now owns 193 stations which reach 40% of Americans.   Their chief political analyst is Boris Epshteyn, former Trump aide. Another producer is Kristine Frazao, a former reporter and anchor for the Russian propaganda network RT who recently ranted right-wing accusations that there is a “deep state” running America.  Sinclair regularly attacks other media outlets as fake news but runs its own fake news:  continuous pro-Trump talking points. They harshly criticized other media for reporting that Trump called Haiti and African countries  “Shithole countries.”  During the Obama years, they ran sleazy ads trying to portray President Obama as a Muslim.  Most recently, they defended the use of tear gas on migrants.   

 Two things are alarming about Sinclair.  First, their news programs come across as local news on ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates and viewers don’t realize that they are getting fake news biased by Sinclair’s political leanings.  Second,  local anchors are required to report some segments even if they totally disagree with the contents. Sinclair calls these segments “must run segments” which local stations cannot omit. Some derisively call these segments “Trump-a-grams.”  One local news director says:  “These MUST Run. If they do not, my job is on the line.”

 These segments praise Trump profusely, just like FOX News.  In return, Trump praises Sinclair (just like he promotes FOX and even uses their “news” to make policy decisions). Trump says:

 “So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.”

 It is not only social media like Facebook which is deeply involved in spreading political misinformation.  It is now major TV networks like Sinclair.  The Vox report cited above concluded that these efforts profoundly affect what millions know about the world.  The goal is to “help the Republican Party and the Trump administration.”

 Does Trump Represent the Real America?  It is commonly thought that Trump is an aberration and does not represent the Soul of America.  But what if he is the “real” America?  Why do 40% of Americans support him no matter what he says or does?  His strongest supporters are those who label themselves as “values” voters, even though it seems to everyone else that Trump totally lacks moral values. Research shows that stubborn ideology often “trumps” facts and that many voters have no problem with politicians who lie.  Everyone knows that Trump is a dedicated liar, but many don’t care.  “He may be a liar, but he’s my liar.”  More troubling is the possibility that Trumpism simply reflects a long history of American values:  slavery, the genocidal history of the conquest of native Americans, militarism, endless wars, sexism, racism, greed, worship of guns, deference to the rich, trampling on the poor, criminalizing behavior of the poor but not behavior of the rich, etc. Will Trumpism ever end, even after he is gone?  

How do Republics Die? A new book, noted historian Edward Watts chronicles how the Roman empire slowly weakened and then rapidly collapsed.  The author said that his goal is to allow “readers to better appreciate the serious problems that result both from politicians who breach political norms and for citizens who choose not to punish them.”  The Roman Empire became dominated by patricians who loathed reform, profited from inequality, and would not embrace the common good.  The book reviewer sees Donald Trump as a farcical reincarnation of Tiberius Gracchus.  He pessimistically concludes that “The challenge to American’s political system is likely to persist long after its present occupant has left the White House.”   

What Trump Aides Say about Him  Trump tweets that his administration is “a smoothly running machine.”  But a record number of top officials have resigned or been fired, 23 so far.  Bob Woodward (of Watergate fame) has a new book Fear in which he reveals dysfunctional leadership and disdain among top aides and resulted in a “nervous breakdown” within the administration. Trump’s top economic advisor (Gary Cohn) stole a letter from his desk to prevent Trump from signing it.  Secretary of Defense Mattis said that Trump had the comprehension of a fifth grader.  “He is an idiot,” said Chief of Staff John Kelly. “It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”  National Security McMaster said that Trump is a “dope” no smarter than a kindergartner.” On the other hand, many former Trump advisors such as Hope Hicks (now at FOX News) have no criticisms of the President. 

Who is Keeping Everyone Laughing?  Like every Shakespeare tragedy, no matter how bad things get you always have to end with something uplifting. So here is Timothy Egan who writes that Trump is the most darkly comic person ever to occupy the White House.  He says that the poop backing up in the National Parks is a fitting image of Trump, the man who tells a 7 year old on Christmas eve that there is no Santa. Hopefully, Mark Twain is right; “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” 

More News in Brief  In major elections, 87% of Belgians vote.  Over 70% vote in Germany Norway, Hungary, Finland, New Zealand, Israel, the Netherlands, South Korea, Australia, Denmark, and Sweden.  In the last presidential election, only 55% of Americans bothered to vote….In 2016, there were 18,489 buttocks augmentation operations in the U.S., a 26% increase over 2015….In ancient Rome, about 20-40% of babies were left to die of exposure….About 80% of Christmas trees in the U.S. are artificial….The world population of people over 60 will double to 2.1 billion by 2050….Japan decided to resume commercial whale hunting and stop pretending that they were doing “research”…. Unnoticed for 4 years, hackers siphoned off a treasure trove of personal information from 500 million customers of Marriott and Starwood.  Names, addresses, email accounts, credit card accounts, birth dates, travel histories, passport numbers, you name it….700 million people views China’s annual Lunar New Year TV program….Cats are cheaper to insure than dogs.

Choice Letters to the Editor NYT

To the Editor Re “Trump Imperils the Planet” (editorial, Dec. 28):

This editorial is correct about the destructiveness of President Trump’s actions on climate change. It accurately and poignantly portrays the status of the climate change movement. It is buttressed with historical and scientific fact. It impassionedly appeals to our hearts, minds and souls.

Unfortunately, however, it misses what would be most effective — namely, removing the corrupt power of oil companies and other wealthy interests over government. This power is exerted through the legal bribery of public officials with lobbying and other money by the rich heads of private industries. And that problem could be fixed by rewriting campaign finance law.

No matter how persuasive the pro-climate argument, no matter how great a majority of the public can be convinced to support climate change action, that action will not happen so long as government officials depend for their political livelihood on the fossil fuel industry.

Art Saluk,  Pembroke Pines, Fla.

To the Editor Re The Wall

It’s not about the wall.  The $5 billion that President trump is asking for is 1/880^th of the estimated $4.4 trillion federal budget for 2019.  It’s about the president.

It’s about telling lies nearly every day.

It’s about trying to kill Obamacare.

It’s about separating migrant toddlers from their families.

It’s about pulling out of the Paris climate accord.

It’s about believing Vladimir Putin rather than our own intelligence agencies.

It’s about ruining the holidays for 5,000 troops by sending them to the Mexican border in order to make a political statement.

It’s about defending white supremacists.

It’s about calling the press the enemy of the people.

It’s about hiding tax returns.

It’s about being a jerk for two years.

William Goldman, Palos Verdes Estates, CA

To the Editor Re “Trump lying is still a big deal” Dec. 28

How numb have we become to the lies of President Trump?”  He travels to Iraq and stands before our troops and lies to their faces about how he got them a 10% pay raise.  His comments were not misstatements; rather they were a part of a completely fabricated story that he had concocted.

If I had written the headline, it would have read, “Commander in chief lies to our troops.”

Larry Macedo, West Hills

To the Editor Re “Trump’s Lies,” by David Leonhardt and Stuart A. Thompson (Op-Chart, Sunday Review, June 25):

I greatly appreciate the presentation of President Trump’s lies over these last five months, but I doubt that their publication will deter this president from continuing his mendacious behavior. Simply put, lying works for him: It gets him lots of headlines, and his supporters seem pleased that the mainstream media appears to be quite frustrated.

The bigger problem is that printing and broadcasting Mr. Trump’s lies isn’t having much effect on his tens of millions of supporters. They still tell pollsters that Mr. Trump is their voice. If we want to peel away Trump supporters, we have to not just publicize his lies but also demonstrate how the president’s actions threaten or hurt them personally. And, above all, we have to present better policies for all Americans.

RIC STEINBERGER
INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV.

To the Editor:

Your comprehensive list failed to cite the president’s most egregious lie, which occurred on Jan. 20, when Donald Trump swore to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

ROBERT WIENER, PARIS

In the News Fall 2018

Sep 4, 2018

Pollution May Diminish Thinking Skills  Anyone who has been to Beijing has been alarmed with the thick smog in which you can barely see anything in front of you.  A large new study suggests a link between air pollution and adverse effects on math and language skills.

Trump Wants the EPA  to OK More Pollution  Get ready for more pollution here at home.  Caving to industry pressure and directives from Trump, the EPA is revising pollution standards to permit more particulate release, the kind linked to heart and lung disease.  The government’s own analysis reveals that there will be about 1,400 premature deaths per year as a result, but Trump feels this is worth it because it means more profits for the coal industry executives who support him.  Trump is also trying to ease pollution standards for cars.  Trump officials in the EPA also want to ease restrictions on the pesticides which cause respiratory complications, developmental disorders, and lower the IQ of farm workers. More broadly, the Trump administration is engaging in an all-out war on science.  Once-trusted scientific studies based on years of data collection are now discarded and replaced with political judgments.  CropLife America, the main agricultural trade group, is demanding a halt to regulatory decisions based on scientific epidemiological studies.  To read more, click here, here, and here.

Trump and Giuliani Speak Out in Favor of Corruption in Romania.  Romania has long been considered one of the most corrupt states in Europe.  Lawmakers are finally making efforts to root out graft, but in wades Giuliani with an Aug. 22 letter blasting these efforts.  Giuliani demands that officials convicted of crimes of corruption should be grated amnesty.  

Get Ready for Ugly Political Trash  Political campaigns of all persuasions are gearing up for a barrage of robocalls, digital ads, and attack commercials.  In the last week of August, the Congressional Leadership Fund (actually a Republican superpac) spent $3.2 million on attack ads in our area. These ads malign Democratic challengers to Republican House seats.  By the way, hang up on any push polls.  A push poll starts off like a real poll attempting to learn your opinion.  In reality, they don’t care a hoot about your opinion and instead they want to feed you heavily slanted propaganda or even lies.  “Now let me read you some statements about Congressman X’s opponent.  Do you know he beats his wife and was arrested for drunk driving when he was 19?”   That is a push poll. 

Fake Media  Did you notice what FOX News was reporting on the blockbuster news day of Aug 21 when Cohen pleaded guilty and Manafort was convicted? All the networks were awash with explosive news…except FOX News which instead focused on an alleged crime by an immigrant in Iowa. But maybe at least some viewers are finally getting it:  On that date, FOX fell into third place in ratings behind MSNBC and CNN.  It is amazing that it has taken so long for people to realize that the Trump Channel is the real Fake News Channel. 

Trump’s Personal Fake Media  In addition to FOX news fake media, Trump also has control over the tabloid media.  The CEO of The National Enquirer is David Pecker, a personal pal of Donald Trump. Trump considers the tabloid to be legitimate media perhaps because it raves about him and attacks his enemies. Trump also likes The National Inquirer because it does “catch and kill” journalism which means they issue hush money and buy the rights to any bad publicity about Trump so it never gets published anywhere.  Apparently they have a special secret safe where they locked up decades worth of bad news about Trump. 

Is Facebook a Bore or a Major Threat to Society?  Speaking of fake media, people are wondering if FB could be much worse than a mere scam.  FB willingly participates in political hacking, collaborates with foreign governments to sway elections, offers a platform for all kinds of malicious purposes, and its top people continue to lie.  A recent study in Germany found that Facebook usage was directly linked to violence against refugees.  In Sri Lanka,  FB posts have been tied to violence against Muslims.  FB is being sued because it has been used to discriminate in housing on the basis of race and religion.  On Sept. 4, the NYT ran a frontpage lead story about how Libyan fighters use FB to buy arms and locate and then kill their foes.  Roger Cohen writes that FB is responsible for social harm that goes way beyond privacy.  To read more, click here, here, here , and here.

Fake Milk or Real Milk?  Did you know that Americans now drink about half as much cow’s milk as they did in 1970?  But what is milk?  The Milk War escalated recently when the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said, “An almond doesn’t lactate.” Is alternative milk like alternative facts?  

Education Secretary De Vos Wants to Make it Harder to Prosecute Sexual Assault, Rape, and Harassment on Campus  Secretary De Vos is not content with diverting tax payer education dollars away from public schools and into her family business of charter schools.  Now she is preparing new policies on campus sexual misconduct which would bolster the rights of those accused of crimes and make it easier for institutions to avoid liability.  But wait, Betsy also wants to divert taxpayer money from a federal grant program in order to fund the purchase of guns by school systems.  The goal is to have lots of people with guns in every school.  Here is what the NYT has to say about Betsy.  Click here for another article.

Worldwide Gun Violence  Betsy De Vos should read a recent study in the  Journal of the American Medical Association which reported that in 2016,  215,269 people were killed by guns (this figure does not include armed conflicts).  That is the equivalent of every man, woman, and child in a city like Glendale, Arizona.  There are about a billion guns in the world, many of them made in the U.S.  About 35% of the gun suicides in the world take place in the U.S.  The risk of dying from bullets in the United States is 100 times greater than it is in Singapore.  This report concludes that firearms are an important public health problem with severe social and economic costs.  

What Conservative Government Means in Britain  Northhamptonshire is a Conservative Party bastion sprinkled with affluent aristocratic estates.  But the town of Northhampton is broke.  The conservative government’s solution is to slash budgets.  Libraries have been shuttered, road repairs have ceased, trash collection has dwindled, and child care is on the chopping block.  The Conservatives preach austerity politics which protect the rich and harm the poor. People are finally rebelling and calling it “criminal politics.” 

New Arms Race in Space  While the Trump administration cuts back on health, education, and most social programs,  it is writing blank checks for anything to do with missiles and space weapons.  Trump is determined to weaponize space.  The Pentagon has secret apparently unlimited budgets for building armed space stations that can shoot down other satellites or conduct war on Earth from above.  There is even a plan to add a sixth branch of the armed services (along with army, navy, air force, etc.) to be called the Space Force.  Billions are being set aside for all the trappings from uniforms to administrative buildings.   In the meantime, the Pentagon is experimenting with the HTV-2 Hypersonic Technology Vehicle which can travel at 5 times the speed of sound.  In addition, the Pentagon has now spent $40 million on their newest missile defense system which includes launch silos near Lompoc, California.  The idea is to make people think we need not worry about North Korean missiles which can now reach any part of the United States.  We will just shoot them down!  Unfortunately, the program is a failure even after draining our tax dollars.  Tests showed that the missiles failed 50% of the time. So if enemies want to hit 20 targets, they launch 40 missiles.  San Onofre would probably be a prime target since even a conventional warhead would be an astronomic force multiplier. Sitting at ground level are thin stainless steel canisters holding the plutonium equivalent of 17,000 atom bombs.  To read more, click here and here.

The Truth about the Health Effects of Drinking  The health journal Lancet claimed to publish the definitive meta-analysis of the pros and cons of drinking.  Unfortunately, they muddled the waters and the truth is:  It Depends.  Read an analysis.

The Republican Show of Hypocrisy  As the draft-dodger president insults the war hero,  Republicans back the president but pretend to honor John McCain.  Or as the NYT puts it: “Congressional Republicans made a show of honoring John McCain, even as they continue to reject his principles.”  See the photo before the casket with McConnell, Ryan, Pence and other Republicans who owe their career to the unprincipled behavior that McCain despised.  

Will the Birthplace of Modern Conservatism Turn Blue?  The New York Times zeros in on Orange County: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/opinion/columnists/orange-county-california-midterm-democratic-party.html

A New Era in Astronomy  Astronomers have spent a century searching for the source of cosmic rays which are the key to understanding the nature of the universe.  Unfortunately, cosmic rays are warped by magnetic fields so it is impossible to tell where they came from.  Tiny and elusive neutrinos are not affected.  It takes 10 billion neutrinos to equal the mass of a proton, and billions pass through your fingertips every second.  Scientists have now succeeded in identifying 28 neutrinos and have traced their origins into deep space to a powerful blazar named TXS 0506+056, which sits just beneath the arm of the constellation Orion.   Read all about neutrino astronomy.

The Real Duncan Hunter  Read this NYT front page expose` of the real Duncan Hunter and what he does in his spare time.

Liberals, You’re Not As Smart as You Think  This is the headline of an Op-Ed by a professor of politics.

Is Trump a Symptom or a Cause of What’s Wrong with America?  Roger Cohen asks the troubling question:  Is Trump causing the malaise in America or does he reflect what the real America is like?  Did Trump get elected because there are millions and millions of Americans who share his values and principles? 

How to Get Into Harvard  Ever heard of lopping, dockets, or z lists?  That’s what getting into college is all about according to those delving into an unusual lawsuit against Harvard. A group of Asian-Americans is suing the university claiming that there is discrimination.  Harvard says it is not all about grades, especially since they could fill their classes with applicants posting perfect grades and test scores.  What they seek is diversity, something which is difficult to measure.  The Trump administration is gleefully jumping in, smelling an opportunity to destroy affirmative action, something that conservatives have long hated.  

More News in Brief

The World Health Organization reported that 92% of people worldwide breathe unhealthy air….Did you know that pigeons can fly over 100 mph….The famed Greenwich Village newspaper The Village Voice, a mainstream voice in New York City since 1955, has gone out of business….With sales dropping for its unhealthy sugary drinks, Coca-Cola suddenly turned to coffee with a $5.1 billion purchase of coffee giant Costa….Campbell Soups is famous for its heavily-salted canned soups and vegetables.  In recent years the company tried to improve its image by moving into fresher food options.  On Aug. 30, Campbell announced it is abandoning this effort and instead will continue to focus on junk food….Donald Trump, the self-described champion of working class America, cancelled pay raises for all government employees for next year.  Trump said the move would save the government $25 billion, money which is much needed to fund the $1.5 trillion tax cuts for the rich.  The transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich was also done to spite workers who had the audacity to resist Trump’s efforts to roll back protection for union workers….In 2017, sharks killed 5 people.  In the same year, humans killed about 100 million sharks….In 1970, only 10% of Americans had a college degree….Here is Philippines’ President Duterte commenting on the increasing number of rapes:  “As long as there are many beautiful women, there will be more rape” ….The Danish company Legos makes 100 million tiny plastic bricks every day.  It is now trying to find a way to make its toys plastic-free….The Trump administration, caving to corporate pressure from formula “milk” producers, is trying to scuttle a World Health Assembly initiative aimed at encouraging breastfeeding….Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at increasing obesity in America.  What does the Trump administration do?  It caves to corporate food industry pressure and is proposing new rules that would limit warning labels on food products….The Red Delicious apple (looks pretty, tastes like cardboard), has finally been deposed as the nation’s favorite apple.  The new favorite is Gala.  Also gaining favor according to a U.S. Apple Association survey is Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honey Crisp….Only 13% of Californian homeowners (and 10% of commercial businesses) have earthquake insurance….Scotland became the first country in the world to offer free sanitary products to students.  The problem was that many girls were staying home from school during their period because they could not afford to buy these products….The majority of Democrats in the Oregon House are female….More than 350,000 people have been killed since 2011 in the Syrian conflict.   

Letter of the Month

To the editor Los Angeles Times, Sept. 2:

            There’s an old saying about baloney: You can slice it, dice it, saute it, boil it or broil it, but it’s still baloney. That’s my take on James Kirchick’s piece on the Republican party “in exile.”  Republicans are not in exile. Their leaders and rank and file support President Trump.

            Kirchick’s remark that the “#Resistance” labors under the delusion that “we are living under a 20th century style despotism” is also ludicrous. Trump’s attacks on racial minorities, his dog whistles and policies against immigrants and refugees, and his relentless attacks on the press are more than an echo of past dictators. With Trump, make no mistake about it, we are careening toward fascism.

            Kirchick rightfully invokes the late Sen. John McCain’s personal sacrifice and courage. But Republicans like him are few. Most cower in fear that Trump will destroy them if they speak out. Their docility and cowardice harms us all.

Mark Day, Vista, Calif.

In the News Late Spring 2018

May 5, 2018

In the News Spring 2018

Mar 29, 2018

Repeal the Second Amendment  Many are tired of hearing people say “I support the 2^nd Amendment, however….”  Former supreme court judge says it is a relic of the 18^th century and we should just get rid of it entirely.  An Op-Ed in the LAT makes the same case.

The Facebook Betrayal  Michael Hiltzik, columnist for the LAT worried when he noticed how Zuckerberg developed a two-class stock structure with the purpose of cementing his power over the future of Facebook.  “You better hope he does everything right, because if he doesn’t he’ll be harder to get rid of than tuberculosis,” Hiltzik quipped.  Now we see what Zuckerberg has been up to (in secret).  Facebook with its 2.2 billion users now joins the Russians, Kushner, Cambridge Analytics, and the FBI in efforts to help the Republican throw the 2016 election. Some years ago,  Mark Zuckerberg was asked why people willingly gave up so much personal information.  “I don’t know why,” he said.  “They trust me.  Dumb….”    FB has been criticized for many years for data mining of personal information and making it difficult for users to manage privacy options.  In 2010, Zuckerberg admitted that FB needed better privacy controls but he never did anything about it.  He is now making the same kinds of statements.  Better take your picture off FB because they use facial recognition technology and everything about you starting with your face may be for sale.  If you want to delete FB (it is hard to do). check this out.   If you want to protect yourself from data harvesters, read this.

Big Brother is Watching You  Remember when politicians railed against the dangers of Communism?  Thought control is already standard operating procedure in Russian and China, and Russia now successfully uses thought manipulation (with the cooperation of Donald Trump)  to manipulate elections in other countries. The Communist Party of China employs and army of fake internet commenters who spew out 448 million comments per year aimed at cheering on the government and redirecting attention to distract the public from issues the government doesn’t want them to talk (or think) about. A Georgetown professor writes about high-tech totalitarianism and what it is like to live in a surveillance state.  Is this already happening here?  Have we become a country where real news is dismissed as fake news, and fake news (like FOX) gets promoted as real news? 

The Republican Guide to Presidential Etiquette  Our February In the News column featured the official list of the 425 people and organizations that Trump has insulted.  Here is another NYT list with about 50 examples of presidential behavior that are acceptable (even admired) by Republicans.  Examples:  Trump tells an average of 5 lies per day (over 2,000 so far).  Watches 4-8 hours a day of cable TV and makes policy decisions based on what he hears on FOX.  Boasts that he has signed more legislation than any other first-year president when in fact he has signed the least.  Praises Norway for buying fighter airplanes that Trump has seen in video games (there are no such planes).  Boasts to his rich friends that his new tax bill will make them all even richer.  Says it is “disgusting” that reporters can write whatever they want and suggests that reporters who do this should be investigated.  Spends about a third of his time at his golf course properties (at tax payer expense).  Brags that there were no airline crashes last year because he was in office.  Read the rest here.

The Republicans Fight Back  Several decades ago the Republicans realized that their future was bleak unless they could somehow manipulate the popular vote.  Much effort went into gerrymandering, and it worked.  Donald Trump lost the popular vote by a wide margin but was able to win the gerrymandered electoral vote.  In spite of this advantage, the prospects for the Donald Trump party continue to look bleak. Look for more efforts at voter suppression to help them out.  The subtitle of this piece in the LAT is “Republicans have doubled down on the tactics of voter suppression.”   

Beauty Contest in Washington  Ever thought you would see the day when people reminisce about the good old days under Richard Nixon?  The antics in our capitol have inspired a vigorous debate by Gail Collins who has written three pieces on Who Is the Best and Who is the Worst.  For example, there is some good news for James Buchanan!  Move over, you are no longer at the bottom of the worst president ever list!   And who is worse, Trump or his lawyers?   And what about the current Trump cabinet?   Gail Collins rates the entire swamp.  Read who is the winner.

The Gloves Come Off at the NYT  The news division of the NYT continues to mute its headlines but the editorial division doesn’t mince words.  A couple recent examples:  In one entitled “Is Mr. Trump Nuts?”  The editors debate the findings of psychiatrists who concluded that Trump has mental illness issues which are a “grave and immediate danger to the safety of America and the world.”    Another editorial is about the total romp that lobbyists are now enjoying in Washington.  Lobbyists stream in and out of the White House in secrecy.  Favors and deals abound.  A non-partisan watchdog group documents 60 lobbying groups, foreign governments, and corporations that make the stench worse than ever.  All this after Trump stated during the campaign, “I’m going to fight for every person this country who believes government should serve the people – not the donors and special interests!”  Is this lie # 2001?

Is Trump Honest or Dishonest?  Did Donald Trump trick the American voters?  Not so, says Frank Bruni who insists that Trump is the most honest president in recent times because he makes no effort to hide his ugly side.  Everyone knows that he is a totally unprincipled liar, bigot, and racist.  He is vengeful, has an explosive temper, ignores facts, reads very little and gets his information from television. He worships money, wallows in vanity, enjoys being a con artist, and cavorts with prostitutes.  He didn’t trick anyone because this was all common knowledge and Americans elected him anyhow.  The real story is what this tells us about America.  See this Op-Ed with a cartoon of Trump hiding behind four Joker cards:

 Is Orange County Turning Blue?  Not so fast, says the LAT headline: “OC’s Conservative Side Is Alive and Well.” 

Hate Groups Increasing  According to the Orange County Register, there are 38 extremist hate groups in Southern California.    They are becoming significantly more open and brazen, often flying high-visibility banners across freeways. Most banners are anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and white supremist.  For example, “Americans are white, the rest must go,” “Blood and soil” (an old Nazi slogan), and “Jews Did 9/11.”

 The Voices of Young People

Madison Leal:  “The children will become leaders as the leaders have become children.”

Sara Chadwick:   “We may be young but our voices are louder than you can imagine.”

Lina Crisostomo:   “I blame the government for what happened and also the people that are sending prayers and condolences but aren’t doing anything.  It’s just heart-breaking to know that the people representing you are failing you.”

David Hogg:  “The fact that some of the students are showing more maturity and political action than many of our elected officials is a testament to how disgusting and broken our political system is right now in America.  Every day, politics is used to suppress you.  I have always felt this way.  Now I have the platform to speak out.”

Florence Yared:   “You adults have failed us by not creating a safer place for your children to go to school.  So we, the next generation, will not fail our own kids.  We will make this change happen. If not today, then tomorrow.  Take it from us. You created a mess for us, but we will make this world safer for our children.”

Aly Sheehy:   “The children you pissed off will not forget this in the voting booth.  Don’t doubt the power of the younger generation because we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Jaclyn Corin:   “In the period of one month, we have shaken up the world.  But I feel like the adults keep pressing the snooze button.  At some point they’re going to have to wake up.”

Darct Schleifstein:   We are Generation Z, the generation after the millennials.  We outnumber them by nearly one million….We will flex our muscles at the ballot box, too.”

Best Letter to the Editor of the Month

To the Editor, NYT:  What can you say about the state of our country when an adult film star sounds more believable and more intelligent, and is more sympathetic, than the president of the United States”  Judith Katz, New York

Best Craigslist Ad

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Best Book  Remember Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame?  He has a new book out The Doomsday Machine which gives a terrifying account of the thinking of military planners whose job it is to come up with scenarios for the world’s final war.  It is a little like Star Warriors written a few decades ago by think tank strategists who considered blowing up the moon or changing the earth obit to put our enemies in a polar climate.  Ellsberg’s new book is actually an extension of the more famous one written by Herman Kahn, On Thermonuclear War.  He originated the idea of the Doomsday Machine whose appeal was that it was quick, simple, cheap, and effective.  The United States would assemble an enormous H-Bomb and bury it under a place like New York City.  When the temperature in NYC reached 100,000,000 degrees (a nuclear attack), the temperature sensor would trigger the bomb which would kill all life in the northern hemisphere in short course.  (It might take a few months to kill all life in the southern hemisphere.)  Because of this grand theory of mutual destruction, no one would ever launch an attack.  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/books/review/daniel-ellsberg-the-doomsday-machine.html  Are you reassured?

In the News February 2018

Feb 2, 2018

In the News, January 2018

Jan 3, 2018

In the News, Late Fall 2017

Oct 29, 2017

Life With Donald PART 2   The Editorial Board of the New York Times decided to itemize just a few of the many outrageous behaviors by Trump which have embarrassed the country and its reputation around the world.  In a long half-page editorial called “The Republican’s Guide to Presidential Etiquette” the editors compiled a list of 68 Trump actions including:

In the News, Fall 2017

Aug 30, 2017

In the News Briefly
Due to Global Warming, tanker ships can now traverse the frozen arctic without an icebreaker. The 984 ft. Christophe de Margerie became the first tanker to complete the new Northern Sea Route as countries fight over arctic rights. And in late August a rowing team called Polar Row broke 11 world records by rowing a boat from Norway to desolate islands in the Arctic Ocean. Meanwhile, pine beetles are killing the stately pine forests of the Northeast. Previously the beetles never got north of Delaware because cold temperatures killed them off each winter. Recent winters have been much warmer so the beetle feast moves northward. And speaking of shrinking natural beauty, President Trump wants to end environmental protection for National Monuments in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Maine. This would open these public lands up for mining and drilling by private developers.

Did you know that a gun is stolen in the U.S. every two minutes? Once stolen they are often sold in underground illegal markets and end up being used in violent crimes…Are you still using plastic bags? Human beings have created 9.1 billion tons of plastic pollution. It doesn’t degrade, and much of it accumulates in your local landfill and in oceans where it kills sea life. Kenya alone, for example, uses 100 million plastic bags per year. But the government of Kenya is fighting back: 4 years in jail or up to $38,000 in fines for those manufacturing or importing plastic bags….The top 25 best paid hedge fund managers earned over $11 billion in 2016. James Simons made $1.6 billion, Ray Dalio raked in $1.4 billion and Robert Mercer (big Trump backer) hauled in $125 million….Anti-Muslim hate and discrimination incidents in California have increased by 10% in the last year…Thomas Rutledge, CEO of Charter Communications makes $98 million a year. That is 2,617 times the average salary of American workers….Finally, MIT researchers have estimated that diesel cars in Europe will cause about 1200 premature deaths per year (diesel engines produce high levels of poisonous nitrogen oxide).

Business in the News. Japanese icon Toshiba is facing bankruptcy because of its disastrous foray into the nuclear power industry. Westinghouse, its troubled American nuclear power subsidiary, has already declared bankruptcy. After spending $9 billion, two nuclear power plants under construction in South Carolina have been abandoned. The projected tab escalated to $25 billion. Who said nuclear power is cheap? The nuclear “renaissance” appears to be over.

Speaking of companies taking a well-earned bath, Fox’s harassment settlements are going through the roof. The sexual harassment settlement for Roger Ailes cost Fox $40 million and the similar payout over the Bill O’Reilly case was another $25 million. Fox has also suspended longtime host Eric Bolling and fired top executive Jamie Horowitz on similar charges. In a recent court filing, Fox stated it spent $224 million last year on “employee transitions.” Corporate code language. Fox also told the court that these amounts would have no “material” effect on the company. But guess what industry is really hurting? It is the banking industry, according to Rob Nichols, president of the American Bankers Association. The beleaguered banks are pleading for “much-needed regulatory relief.” The Republicans in Congress have been quick to respond with measures to roll back financial reforms. David Lazarus of the LAT says Banks need relief? Really? Last year, U.S. banks reported a record annual profit of $171.3 billion. Only 4% of banks lost money, the lowest figure in 22 years. BOA earnings were up 40% in the first quarter of this year, and even troubled Wells Fargo reported a $5.5 billion profit for the same period. Lazarus calls all this the Oliver Twist tactic (“Please sir, I want some more!”).

The newspaper world was shocked on August 22 when the publisher and top editors of the Los Angeles Times were suddenly fired by Justin Dearborn, CEO of Tronrc which is the Chicago-based parent company of the LAT. The new publisher will be Ross Levinsohn, an executive from the Fox digital group. Jim Kirk of the Chicago Sun-Times will be the new executive editor. No one knows what this will mean for readers but the reasons given for the shake-up was not enough revenue coming in.

Supply Side Economics Fails Again. A familiar Republican mantra is tax cuts, tax cuts! They continue to argue with a straight face that it boosts economic growth (and they deny, also with a straight face, that the real reason is tax breaks for the rich). The Kansas experiment now tells the truth. With a conservative governor Brownback, a conservative state legislature, and the conservative Koch Brothers Inc., the state enacted sharp tax cuts back in 2011. The wealthy enjoyed the cuts, but the economic growth never came as they predicted. Misery followed. Spending on education was slashed so much that the state supreme court ruled that the neglect of education was unconstitutional. Grudgingly, the legislature enacted a tax increase and even overrode the governor’s veto. In the US Congress, no Republican has ever voted for a tax increase for 27 years. Will the Kansas experiment change their mind? Will Republicans now admit that Supply Side Economics is a hoax?

Can You Sue a Company? Banks are allowed class action lawsuits, but there is now pressure to prevent people from doing the same thing. The Republican House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at blocking class action law suits. Now the senate has to decide whether to protect corporations or to protect consumers. If you examine your “agreements” with your banks, credit cards, and even your doctors, notice that they are now requiring you to agree to mandatory arbitration. That is because corporations generally win arbitration cases, and it is tough for individuals to go up against teams of corporate lawyers (something you could do if you were allowed to join a class action lawsuit). Read more.

New Research on Heart Disease. A new drug that fights inflammation rather than cholesterol claims to greatly reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and possibly lung cancer. The NYT says that the “Findings Represent a Medical Milestone.” The new drug is intended for people with high levels of inflammation as measured by the C-reactive protein (CRP) blood test. The down side is that it is expensive and my affect the immune system.

Trump Pushes to Militarize Local Police Departments. Back in 2015, Pres. Obama blocked sale of military hardware to local police. He noted that a militarized police force gives people the feeling that the police are an occupying army rather than a local force. Trump has now rolled back this restriction so local police can now buy bayonets, rocket launchers, and armored vehicles designed for fighting wars. The Trump administration said that police need bayonets to help cut seatbelts in an emergency. Trump to Fully Restore Military Surplus Transfers to Police

Fascism, American Style is the title of a disturbing Op-Ed by Paul Krugman as he reflects on creeping acceptance of fascism and the pardon of convicted criminal white supremacist sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio boasted of arresting Latinos and sending them to Tent City where conditions were brutal and temperatures often reached 145 degrees. He liked to call it his “concentration camp.” Krugman reminds us that when political criminals round up minority groups and send them to concentration camps it is usually called fascism. More troubling, says Krugman, are the Republicans in Congress who look the other way and tacitly support racist lawbreakers. He calls them collaborators.

Trump Hotel at Night. Lobbyists, Cabinet Members, and $60 Steaks. Reporter Katie Rogers visits the Trump Hotel in Washington which has become a power center for Republicans, lobbyists, foreign businessmen, and anyone seeking favors from the White House. Although the hotel is owned by American taxpayers (Trump leases it from the GSA) Trump has profited $20 million over the last 15 months. This violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution which forbids government employees from personally profiting from foreign governments. Money, $2500 bottles of champagne, and favors flow freely at this Republican gathering place which some now call the Swamp. Here is Katie’s report from the NYT plus a report from the Washington Post entitled “How the Trump Hotel Changed Washington’s Culture of Influence.”  Another lengthy report describes the pitfalls of a president who splits time between his commercial empire and his day job. In his first four months in office, President Trump has visited his family-owned golf clubs 25 times. Read “Ethical Hazards Dot the President’s Fairways.” 

Is Trump Unfit for Office? The 25th Amendment to the Constitution describes how presidents can be dismissed, but is it ever going to happen? Should it be a clinical judgment or a political decision? The issue came up when President Reagan was failing and when Nixon was facing impeachment. Two psychiatrists weigh in.  Here is another piece from the LAT also questioning Trump’s mental fitness.

Why Do the Streets in France Run with Wine? Enough about Trump, now for some serious news. French winemakers in Languedoc are up in arms about cheap wine imported from Spain which gets relabeled as “French.” French winemakers commandeered huge tank trucks filled with Spanish wine and emptied them on highways! Mon dieu! 

Choice Letters to the Editor

To the Editor (OCR):
There is a great contrast between George Washington and Donald Trump. George Washington never told a lie, and Donald Trump never tells the truth.
Edward Sussman, Fountain Valley

To the Editor (NYTimes):
I think we are all missing the boat. Donald Trump really does not want to be president. He wants his old life back. This president business is too much trouble. It interrupts his golf schedule. He will resign. All the better for us.
June Lee, Easton, CT

To the Editor (LAT)
Arpaio was not convicted for “doing his job. He was convicted for refusing to obey a court order to discontinue his patently racist and unconstitutional practice of racial profiling and illegal arrests.
Ken Levy, Los Angeles

To the Editor (LAT):
Arpaio deserved not only a pardon but a Medal of Freedom for his courageous effort to protect his constituents from illegal immigrants despite the efforts of the criminal alien lobby to demonize him.
Kemp Richardson, Santa Clarita

To the Editor (rejected by the LAT):
While Donald Trump has failed miserably on almost all of his campaign promises, there is one he is keeping: the pledge to drain the swamp. Gone are Steve Bannon, Anthony Scaramucci, Sebastian Gorka, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn, and a host of others. Keep up the good work!

Roger Johnson, San Clemente