ndrosen

I emailed my Congressman the other day, urging him to oppose the misnamed Kids Online Safety Act, which was passed by the Senate, and is now before the House of Representatives. I made the points that the requirement for identification would lead to increased danger of identity theft, as a result of hackers managing to steal the information on Internet users which websites would be required to obtain, and that the proposed law violates the First Amendment rights of all Americans by holding websites culpable for the vaguely defined “mental health” of juveniles.

For example, a truthful article about global warming or the situation in the East China Sea might result in teenagers (and adults) being beset by worry, but would be legitimate news which people have a right to publish and to read. I also gave the example of an advice column that might upset some recipients of advice, or a website arguing that abortion is very wrong, which might upset a pregnant teenager.

Let’s hope that the bill is voted down.

Kamala Harris wants to crack down on groceries for responding to the the inflation of the money supply which the Federal Reserve Board has created, and to the government’s enormous deficit spending, causing expectations of future inflation, by so-called price gouging. This isn’t the first indication that she has both bad ideas and personal flaws. I am torn between voting for Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in my life, on the grounds that at least she isn’t Trump, and voting Libertarian.

Decades of bungling and irresponsibility have gotten us into an ugly mess, and I expect major trouble ahead.

A week and a half ago, I wrote, “[I]t is hard to escape the conclusion that Mr. Vance has joined what he knows to be the wrong side in service to his political ambitions.” I ought to clarify this. People can certainly disagree on policy questions, and despite my disagreements with him, I do not accuse J.D. Vance of being knowingly in the wrong when he praises Lina Khan’s work at the Federal Trade Commission, for example, or advocates “nationalist conservative” economic policies.

I do find it hard to see how a man of some intelligence, who saw through Trump and said so back in 2016, can sincerely believe that Donald Trump is fit to be president, and sing his praises in good faith. J.D. Vance, a Marine and Senator who has presumably taken oath to support the Constitution, has said that he would have done, or would do, what Mike Pence refused to do, and use his position as Vice President to steal an election for Trump. Trump himself recently told a gathering of his supporters that if they elected him, they would never have to vote again.

Fellow citizens, we have been warned.

Earlier today, through the White House website, I sent a polite and respectful email to President Biden, asking him to withdraw from the race. I wrote that whatever the actual state of his health and cognitive functioning, or what it might be by January of 2029, there are a substantial number of Americans who would vote for a generic Democrat, especially with Dishonest Donald as the alternative, but would not vote for him. I said that either Vice President Harris could run, or the convention could choose among Democratic senators and governors.

I don’t expect President Biden to read the letter himself, or to change his mind if he somehow does, but enough messages from prominent and ordinary citizens just might get his aides to broach the subject with him, and might perhaps change his mind about running for re-election. I thought I ought to try.

For some time, I have been wishing for Dishonest Donald to suffer another stroke, or have something else go wrong with him, in a way that would make it impossible for any but the most delusional MAGAts to keep thinking that he is qualified to be President. Instead, Joseph Biden’s performance at the debate created major doubts about his mental fitness for the job. Let it be said that Trump, judging from the word salad which he often speaks when he extemporizes, is also suffering from senility, leaving aside his other faults.

Mr. Biden spoke of being a transitional president, and serving a single term; in the event, he decided to seek re-election, perhaps in the sincere belief that his policies were benefiting the country, and that he had the best chance of preventing a second Trump administration. With the benefit of hindsight, he would have done well to remember Charles de Gaulle’s aphorism, that the graveyards of the world are full of indispensable men.

I am not an admirer of Vice President Harris, and, apart from my own views, she appears to be unpopular with the voting public, and short on charm. Someone, or some delegation of notable Democrats, needs to go to President Biden, and urge him to step aside for the country’s sake; the Democratic National Convention should do what conventions used to do, and actually choose a nominee. There should be discussion on the merits of drafting Senator A or Governor B, and someone, perhaps on the fifteenth ballot, should be nominated.

President Biden may not be open to persuasion, or there may be other obstacles. Dum spiro spero. There are still four months for Donald Trump to suffer a complete meltdown.

Now that Nikki Haley has endorsed Donald Trump, I have reason to be glad that I did not waste forty minutes going to the polls when the Republican primary was held, and voting for her.

I continue to receive emails from Mike Johnson, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Pompeo, and others, asking me to contribute. What struck me recently was an email from the “State Republican Party” demanding that I renew my expired membership. I had never been a dues-paying member, so this is at best an error. I wonder whether it is actually a Republican political solicitation, or an outright scam, for the private enrichment of some crook. Legally, politicians, even politicians whom I abhominate, can request campaign contributions and, I suppose, help with their legal bills; the legalities may change when someone like Steve Bannon solicits donations to build Trump’s wall, and allegedly keeps the dough for himself.

Morally, someone trying to scam Trumpublicans to enrich himself may be doing less harm than someone who is sincerely trying to put Trump and his collection of cockroaches back in power, and to end constitutional government. Should people be judged by their sincerity, by the legality of their actions, or by how much harm they are likely to do? All of the above, I would say, as different questions may be asked, and then answered according to different criteria.

I keep getting multitudes of junk emails begging for money, supposedly from Dishonest Donald, Mike Johnson, and other well-known rogues. Asking to be unsubscribed hasn’t worked. In a way, this is encouraging, as it indicates that the fascists and Putin suck-ups are desperate for money, and are being out-fundraised. I’m not an unconditional admirer of the Democrats, but at least they are not what the former Party of Lincoln has become.

I continue to receive emails from various well-known (like Michael Johnson) and obscure Trumpublicans. I recently received a physical mailing from Nikki Haley’s campaign, asking me to donate at least $47 to help her become the forty-seventh President of the United States. My impression of Mrs. Haley is that she is rather slippery and unprincipled, which makes her a much better human being and potential chief executive than Donald Trump. I may consider voting for her, depending on whether her campaign gets anywhere, and on what she emphasizes in the general election. She might try to present herself as Trump without the baggage, or as a candidate for fiscal responsibility and resisting Russian aggression; she might be more or less credible in what she says.

For now, however, her appeal is in the recycled paper bag.

I mentioned junk e-mail a few days ago. Now one recent piece of Trumpublican junk demanding my support warned me that I had a last chance to preserve my reputation.

When I was seven years old, that just might have worked. Upon being told that I was nearsighted, and would need to wear glasses, I objected to my mother that wearing glasses would hurt my reputation. Now that I’m fifty-nine, I deleted the presumptuous attempt to fleece me.