Dark Times – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

Time To Put More Wood Behind The Arrows

No time for quivering

You could feel a large collective exhale across the USA this week following the midterm election results, signaling that there’s still some life left in the old republic. It was such a rush I’m surprised the leaves still hanging on the trees remain attached. The sound we all heard was out of a medieval war movie when archers loose their arrows. We continue to live in historic moments and there’s no question this was one of them. One that felt good, after so many that haven’t. It’s also one that needs backing up because the job is far from done.

Strange happenings nX DMeJ_Od4 unsplash. A sculpture of two large arrows shot into the ground along Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona

Those rushing winds will indeed blow in a new U.S. Congress, crucial changes in state legislatures, and a few courts across the country. I was impressed by a statistic that may be true (I’m not completely sure — but I want to believe it) that enough governors races changed the map so that beginning next year 75% of the American population will live in states with a Democratic governor at the helm. I’m even more pleased that so many are women.

That bodes well for the future. But only if take care of today and continue to fight and back up the election results with enough muscle to make it truly meaningful. As the saying goes we need to put more wood behind the arrow if we want to really strike home.

After folks breathing began to calm, there was a collective gasp at the end of the week when the old man in what’s left of the White House appointed the architect of so much cruelty and the walking definition of inhumanity, Stephen Miller, as chief of staff. I sincerely hope no one was surprised at the move. I further sincerely hope no one is going to be surprised by the damage Miller is about to inflict.

What remains of the White House is a cage full of wounded animals, backed up against walls filled with faux gold filigree, ready to strike back. What still remains of a country that leveled the playing field with their votes is the question of how much we are willing to back those votes up in response to whatever is going to come down the pike. The first test was the election. We’re about to be tested further. Again, this should come as no surprise. But needs to be met with resolve.

My prediction is that in the end, appointing Miller is one of the moves that will accelerate the end of this terrible turn of history, but not without much damage being done before it’s over. And not without stiff opposition. We have the majority at the moment, but we are still the opposition.

I’m hoping that those pissed off enough to vote the way they did get even more so once Miller’s marauding begins. We need to get to that tomorrow that Tuesday’s results hint at but don’t guarantee.

As to the squabbles currently going on in Congress over who will lead the new majority opposition, I hope that debate only intensifies in the next few weeks. The people said enough is enough and it would be naive to think they voted for something rather than against something worse.

The only license the vote results yielded is one that opens a door to change across the board. The leaders we need have to match the fervor of those who spoke with their votes. If it were up to me, I’d replace Schumer and Jeffries with those not tainted with the timidness of the past. If you ask me the time to make those type of changes is now. The bad guys on all fronts are off-kilter, the Miller move is indicative of that. Time to take advantage of the chaos.

Every vote in this election was an arrow loosed. The vast and overwhelming majority struck home. We’ll need more wood for more arrows in the days ahead. That was always going to be the case. Now is no time for quivering.

(Image from Strange Happenings on Unsplash)

Thanks for reading. You can subscribe to this blog if you care to. You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. This site does not use affilate links.

Midterm Election Rout: Point All The Fingers Of Blame At Trump

No need to reflect on this Midterm election madness

You can point many fingers at many targets to try and explain the reasons for the seismic political earthquake that Tuesday’s election turned into. Pundits and political pros are working overtime to do so. They can slow their roll. It’s easy. You only need one finger aimed at one target. Donald Trump.

Michelangelo Caravaggio's Narcissus staring at his reflection

Yes, there’s the Iran War. The economy. Corruption. Data centers. ICE. Cruelty. Racism. Health care. Dismantling the rule of law. Tariffs. The dismantling of international relations. Elon Musk trying to buy elections. Toxic masculinity. There’s something for everybody.

But, if you hover that finger over any of the targets you don’t have to drill down too far to see Trump is ultimately and completely to blame for those issues bubbling up into a toxic smelling political stew that just became more than folks wanted to stomach, much less smell.

The pushback is indeed glorious in its magnitude. And it flips such a multitude of table tops upside down that I’m not sure we’ll be able to come to grips with the scale of that magnitude for some time to come.

The one I’m the most hopeful about is that it appears there’s a chance to turn the political divisions away from what’s been a battle between red and blue, particularly the cultural issues, into one that’s top vs bottom focusing on the bottom line. There’s no doubt that the war, which led to higher gas prices, exacerbating an already failing and debt-ridden economy weakened by tariffs, reached directly into the pocketbooks of so many.

What appears to be the possible outcome (I say possible) is that Trump’s unrepentant bragging about how so much money was being made by his Mar-A-Lago cronies and too-quick-to-capitulate corporate hangers on and political pall-bearers has finally led some, hopefully enough, of those on the lower rungs of economy to actually pay attention and feel those greedy hands reaching directly into their wallets. Here’s hoping the Democrats can draw that line in a big, bold, bright stroke.

Add to that equation the polling data that showed 90% of voters recognized and despised the rampant corruption this gang of thieves exuberantly embraces. Extend that big, bold, bright line into how this corruption affects your pocket being picked and you’re on to something.

Some of the new blood that just won elections are doing so. Those chosen to lead the charge going forward need to follow that lead. And if they don’t, they don’t deserve the chance to capitalize on the gift they’ve just been given from the one man who always wants the spotlight on him.

My excitement is only tempered by the fact that this one man is still a malignant narcissist who lets his wounds fester until he can strike back. He’s proven it over and over again and proven to be as unpredictably predictable in the ways he chooses to do so, even if it brings more harm to him and those around him. Until he’s no longer giving tours of his ridiculous ballroom and reflecting pool renovation I’ll always urge caution.

But I do keep in mind how Narcissus eventually wasted away by the side of his own reflecting pool.

The USA Stands Up and Survives A Near Death Experience

Relieved, encouraged, but still wary

I didn’t sleep well Monday night. Actually I haven’t slept well the previous few nights. I was very anxious heading into the mid-term elections here in the U.S. That anxiety actually led to me getting sick to my stomach Monday morning. Certainly, if you have a pulse you know why I was anxious.

A news banner announcing a blue wave of Democrats taking the U.S. Senate and U.S House of Representatives to rebuke Donald Trump

Last night, following an unmistakable electoral rebuke of all things MAGA, I didn’t sleep well either. Not from anxiety, but from trying to come down from the series of highs and rushes throughout the night as it appeared enough Americans in enough places stood up and voted to stop the bleeding that was quickly draining the life out of this country and the republic that governs it. Ben Franklin would be proud.

Across the country in races for the House of Representatives, the Senate, governors’ mansions, and state houses, Democrats did what we’re supposed to do and took back control. They said enough. Enough of the madness. Enough of the corruption. Enough of the abuse. Enough of the dividing line between the haves and the growing number of have-nots.

The big story will be the Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress. Perhaps as it should be, because that’s where the headline battles in the last two years of the Trump administration will be fought. And it will be a fight. There are no veto-proof super majorities in either party. Basking in the glow of a stupendous victory is one thing, trudging through the hard work to deliver results will see that glow quickly fade. It’s a a very temporary currency.

The governors’ races are just as important as are the various state house races, because like it or not, those power centers will have as much influence as what goes on in the U.S. Capitol and in the elections to come. In fact, those victories may influence more in Washington than those that are bringing so many new and, more importantly, younger members to serve there.

And make no mistake, there’s a wounded, somewhat caged beast still desecrating the White House or what remains of it. It would take a complete reversal of character for him not to strike back hard and with all the cruelty he can summon. To be frank I’m worried more about his subdued, seemingly humbled reactions so far than I would be if he continued punching back the way we’ve sadly grown accustomed to.

The other story that I hope gets focus in the rushing aftermath of so much happening is the strike back at big money (largely tech) players and the political mechanics who tried to gerrymander their way into hanging on to power. These victories didn’t erase the disgrace and disaster of Citizens United, but they provide some hope that its illicit and fictional foundations don’t hold up as much as some think they should.

There’s a fight ahead. A big one. Actually, many big ones. If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that the small frame of these two-year election cycles can provide enough room for all sorts of chaos, agony, and destruction. The Democrats have an enormous challenge ahead. Anger swept many of them in. That anger will not subside when the hangover of victory eases. The young voters that have now brought many of them to power want to see not just action, but retribution. I sincerely hope those now burdened with governing and cleaning up the mess we’re in can find the balance for both. Because both are needed.

Am I happy. Yes. Ecstatic. I don’t know many of the winning candidates well, but to my eye it seems like decency won last night. Decency matters. Or it should.

I’m also humbled by all those who stood up, were measured and were not found wanting when it counted. I’ve lived through more turbulent history in the last decade plus than I have for the six decades that came before. I don’t think the turbulence is over by any stretch of the imagination. The one thing I learned in those seemingly, but not actually less trying times, when progress seemed to be steadily made, is that it can all be undone more quickly than it can be built. My fervent hope is that those who stood up remain standing, keeping the pressure up so this historic victory and more than deserved rebuke and near-thing resurrection will pay off.

Perhaps I’ll take a nap today.

Bryan Adams Dives Into Protesting With New Song “Lake Ontario”

We need more of this

If you read anything here at all you know I love a good protest song. Well, Bryan Adams has just released a new one tossing water on Donald Trump’s propensity for naming things called Lake Ontario.

I’d love to hear more songs like these. You can check it out below. Spread it around.

Don’t Tune Out. Pay Attention

Watching the world whiz by

It usually begins with “I don’t follow politics” or “I’m nor political.” But the topic can be interchangeable. Tech, sports, etc… It’s a choice. Even not choosing is a choice. One can argue, (I frequently do) that when you tune out or become tired or uninterested in a topic, then you’ve essentially surrendered. Whatever the other side is, you’ve let them win by removing yourself from the board.

Zoe vandewater oMpoyoO01Tg unsplash. Life can be tiresome. Increasingly it feels more so. Certianly in the wake of so much merciilessly bad news that it’s difficult to see how giving your attention might have an impact, much less worth your time and energy. I’ll be the first to admit trying to keep up is enough to drive anyone to just walk away.

It’s also makes it appealing to just to focus on the many good things that you enjoy in life.

Call me crazy (most do) but that’s how the forces who do pay attention on their quest to achieve whatever their aims are want you to feel how they want you to act. Overwhelmed. Overwhelmed to the point of tuning out, turning away or rolling over.

If you’ve tuned out, gotten pissed off, or just become no longer curious, the game is still afoot, and you’re not playing. You might think you’re canceling someone. But the only one you’re canceling is you.

By the time big changes come around that actually have a direct impact on your life, the game has moved on. And if you’re trying to get on board at that point, you’re late to the party and only there to pick up the pieces.

I’ve lived through enough moments in life when those who paid attention could see the direction the path ahead was revealing, and just enough tuned out to give those forging the path all the runway they needed.

Look, no one can keep up with everything. That’s just a reality. If there’s one good thing that has come out of the age of social media is that we can at least remain peripherally aware of the debates and arguments in ways we couldn’t before social media.

Even a peripheral awareness is better than a self-imposed lack of awareness, whatever the reason for shutting down.

Pay attention. Stay in the game.

(Image from Zoe VandeWater on Unsplash)

Hope, Fears, Concerns

What’s ahead is as perilous as the road we’ve all been traversing

I have hope that enough people have seen more than they need to vote out congressional and other enablers of the Trump regime. I’m hoping whatever threats or evil magic spell he’s tossed into the ether have dissipated enough to bring out large numbers of voters in the right precincts and districts.

I have fears that while I anticipate all sorts of shenanigans, legal and otherwise, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of election day that we’ll have to endure another nightmare political circus. Frankly, I fear more what happens on January 3rd when the new Congress is supposed to be sworn in that there will be attempts to not seat democratically elected members.

I have concerns that should the vote deliver overwhelming majorities that none of the efforts to try and negate the results will matter that it will lead everyone to breathe a huge sigh of relief, thinking that we’ve moved out of the morass. Even if/when power shifts in Congress the next two years are going to be more challenging than the last two as long as Trump is still in office. Even if he disappeared tomorrow the work to fix what’s been broken will take maximum effort. That much needed sigh of relief can only be a momentary one before any real work begins.

Vote.

Sunday Morning Reading

It’s all complicated. Until it’s not.

In some weird way another Sunday has rolled around and pulled into the station that signals the end of another week. I say weird because it’s one of those weeks where you lose track of where you are day by day, and have to keep reminding yourself which day that ends in “y” you’ve landed on. It’s complicated. In a way to avoid my momentary confusion, here’s some Sunday Morning Reading to share. If I’m sharing it, it must be Sunday, right?

Matthieu marseille JzmM3xTu2Xw unsplash.

Artificial Intelligence continues to complicate the news with more and more problems predictably arising daily out of that tempestuous soup we called technology. Ian Duncan has a more than interesting essay on the matter titled Sex, AI, And The Apocalypse that’s worth your time. Whether you’re buying what anyone, including Duncan, is selling, it’s worth examining the merchandise.

Aurra Kawanzaruwa reminds that’s it’s not the lie that’s told that matters as much as the doubt it creates in The Liar’s Dividend. Who Benefits From Your Doubt.

Meanwhile, David Todd McCarty takes a look at An Uncomplicated Life. Easier said than done. Better done than not.

JA Westenberg says Outrage Is Our Last Campfire. Any piece that begins with examining a bit of Anton Chekov is worth your time in my view. I’m not sure if outrage is the last or not, but it sure is consuming us more than keeping us warm.

I miss good sports writing. Chicago is a crazy sports town, and at the moment, with both major league baseball teams in the playoffs and the NFL season underway emotions are running rampant. The stakes are high, but the odds are fading with the Chicago Bear’s star quarterback and thus that team’s hopes injured. Most of the hopes and baseball dreams will come to naught in my opinion, but it makes for an uncomplicated way to while away some time between commercial breaks for online betting. Matt Lombardo’s has a good piece of sports writing in The Official Quarterback Hell Travel Guide worth checking out if you’re into such things.

Sad to say, you can’t talk about sports today without talking about gambling. Alex Klavens, Walk Bogdanich and Jenny Vrentas investigate How Draftkings Uses A.I. To Target The Gamblers Likeliest To Lose. Bet you didn’t see that coming.

To close out, give a read to Timothy Snyder’s piece A Medidation On Train Stations. The things we know, and the things we just set aside to deal with so many other things are enough to complicate countless lifetimes.

(Image from Matthieu Marseille on Unsplash)

Thanks for reading. Feel free to subscribe if you want. It’s free. If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. If you’d like more click on the Sunday Morning Reading link in the category column to check out what’s been shared on Sunday’s past. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. This site does not use affilate links.

Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence, and Hive Mindlessness

I always look at everyone when we’re on the street and think, ‘We’re like sheep or ants.’ – Lee Ryan

The stock we place in leaders to change the course of countries and companies is more times than not an illusion. The bigger the organization the greater the illusion. For the moment at least these organizations are still made up of humans, and in most cases to think humans march in lockstep you’ve got a hitch in your step.

Oktavianus mulyadi Ir0LXvMPnyc unsplash.

We watch presidents and dictators and CEOs and heads of this and that issue orders, decrees, mission statements, warnings, social media posts, and what have you, and it’s easy to put whatever statement they make to bed and move on whether it’s a problem solved, problem created, or a promise made. Yes, leaders set a tone and an agenda. But leaders don’t do the dirty work down under that make the trains run on time.

Often it’s underlings who think they’re doing what’s called for. They can sometimes twist and turn the agenda to their own purposes. Occasionally they turn their own zeal into a tempest that laps the original intent of whatever they’ve been ordered to accomplish.

And then there are those not in the mix that follow. Seize the agenda. Jump on the bandwagon and try to turn it into the permission slip they’ve always wanted to do now that they feel justified. Or perhaps just because it’s possible. They and the curious who sit on the sidelines can also upend any agenda.

Wealth certainly doesn’t trickle down, but bad motivations do. Strike that. The gravity occasionally runs the other way. Permission slips open up a plethora of permissive possibilities that even the strongest hand of the strongest boss can’t control. That’s human nature. Like Mother Nature, it’s a delusion we can control either.

Even so, we like to think there’s a world out there where we’re all pulling with the same purpose towards the same goals. That’s the illusion.

What prompted this little bit of an essay, beyond watching the always on/off political posing these days, was watching Meta’s new attempt to conquer the world, Muse, rocket up to the top of the app charts with surprising speed. Given all that we know about Zuckerberg’s machinations and maniuplations I don’t believe there was a public out there thirsting for this next move. But it’s being devoured and guzzled in gulps not seen since votes were secured with beer and a sandwich in Chicago taverns back in the day.

Humans are an evolved species that can reason. Perhaps that’s the illusion. Insects that revolve around queens like ants and bees don’t reason. The irony of the gender difference of bosses between the insect world and our technologically driven one is amusing, but the willingness of the drones that follow the leader is depressing.

(Image from oktavianus mulvadi on Unsplash)

Sunday Morning Reading

Yes, and…or No, But?

It’s a Sunday. Yes, and it’s raining. Yes, and it was darker than I prefer when I sat down to write this edition of Sunday Morning Reading. The content feels darker too. Sign of the times? Or just a look inside what’s caught my attention? You read. You try to figure it out. I don’t think I can. Neither can anyone else it seems. Game on.

Michal vrba AJlaheUF IA unsplash. Boys playing chess

AI safety is all over the news, which means it has become practically a dead horse of a topic. Is it scam or a real threat? No one knows. Funny. I think that’s how the scammers prefer it. Especially if there’s a there there. Juliette Kayyem says Destroying Humanity Is Against The Law. Is it?

Anand Giridharadas repeats the obvious in The System Is Rigged. The Cavalry Is Not Coming. We’re On Our Own. Obvious as it may be, it’s worth your time.

Phillips Payson O’Brien says The American Age Is Over. Duh.

David Todd McCarty takes on The Abject Failure Of American Media. McCarty also sprinkles some wisdom on the Ed Sheeran controversy in Ed Sheeran Learns The Hard Way That Neutrality Is Not A Safe Space. There are parallels about more than just safe spaces if you’re of a mind to see them.

Anyone who didn’t think The Kennedy Center was going to be just another in a long list of casualties that would take a miraculous act of resurrection after Trump spoiled all the parties was deluding themselves. Everyone knew the lies going in. Janay Kingsberry reveals the financial ones for the few who pay attention in What The Kennedy Center’s Tax Returns Reveal.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the improv technique “Yes, and…” Dennis Hogan asks “What was Improv?” in his piece No, But. If you know, you know. If you read, you’ll find out.

Justin Neuman says we are most human when we play freely, imaginatively, and pointlessly. There’s wisdom there. There’s also wisdom in what he offers about this era when everything is gamified in More Nothing Now.

Neil Steinberg brightens the morning by suggesting that sometimes all we need is a kitten in Farm Kitten.

(Image from Michal Vrba on Unsplash)

Sunday Morning Reading

Is reading, like writing, in danger?

Time for a little Sunday Morning Reading. But reader beware. Some think reading might be in danger. Read on. If you choose to.

Ben white 1MHU3zpTvro unsplash. A man sitting by a lake or river, reading a book.

Like a lot of folks who write I’ve been recently writing about writing in this AI age. But writing is only one side of the page writers want readers to turn. Readers don’t turn pages if they don’t like what they read. Bryan Cantrill thinks readers might be slowing their roll in his piece The Revolt of the Reader. I’d give it a read whether you write, or simply read the words of others.

Becky Ferreira takes a look at how The Remnants Of A Lost ‘Supercontinent’ Just Rewrote The History Of Life On Earth. Accepting that would require a global scale of editing and require quite a bit of new reading.

Roko’s Basilisk. Ever heard of it? Yes or no, you should check out Albert Buneko’s piece What If We Could Have A Future?

Perhaps you’ve heard that there’s a 10% chance AI will destroy humanity in the next decade? Over the weekend Anthropic’s Dario Amodei penned a large piece (or maybe he just had Claude generate it-who knows?) titled We Must Pace The Frontier. In the race he’s running he’s calling for things to slow down and governments to step in because there’s danger out there. It’s caused quite a stir. Fellow race participants, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk, have quickly jumped in to agree. Either these guys are seeing the writing on the wall from folks who just aren’t buying their overhyped promises, or one of their AIs cracked into something we don’t know about yet. Or it could just be more hype. Or it could just be an attempt to push their agenda in upcoming talks the US is to have with China. Given that no one trusts anything they say, who knows? I’d say who cares, but there is that whole future thing that Albert Buneko was writing about.

Speaking of writing on the wall, apparently the gold rush for vibe coding apps isn’t what it looked like it might be. Paul Ford asks A.I. Was Supposed To Give Us Killer Apps. What Happened? The world only needs so many task management apps.

In the political realm folks are turning their attention to January 3, 2027 as a possible next January 6th coup. Michael Luttig lays it all out in The Final Battle For America’s Democracy. It’s a scary read. I think what he lays out is indeed possible. That said, if there is such a thing as a final battle, I think it was lost with the last presidential election.

With a hat tip to David Todd McCarty, I discovered Patrick Metzger’s piece What Canadians Won’t Admit About America. You should discover it as well.

And if you’re not going to be doing any reading this Sunday, perhaps go out and take a walk. Before you do, read David Todd McCarty’s Life On Goshen Landing Road.

Read well.

(Image from Ben White on Unsplash)