Freedom of the Press

   Donald Trump has threatened to sue the Des Moines Register for printing a report that he came out second in a pre-election survey of Iowa residents.
   This was not an Election Day report, but an earlier private survey of what some potential voters planned to do several days later, on Election Day itself.
   It was not an official government tabulation of Election Day votes. It surveyed only a relatively few potential voters in Iowa, and none in other states. It was also done before Election Day. And there was no promise that they must do what they said they would do.
   There was also no guarantee that those surveyed actually would vote as they said they might. There were no promises that they would do on Election Day what they said two days earlier they probably might do.
   That's the kind of information surveys collect.
   Nonetheless, Trump sued the newspaper for printing a story about what might happen, could happen, would happen or should happen if, if, if, and if.
   None of the above actually did happen. It was only a survey of what some folks thought might happen.
   Even so, he sued.
   Why?
   Was this part of a threat to punish anyone who dared to make any negative comment about him, or about what might happen?
   By this standard, criticism is not allowed.
   If this incoming president succeeds in punishing anyone who does anything that can be perceived as negative, this nation founded on the doctrine of free speech is in trouble.
   Perhaps Trump and his cohort should read the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Ain't Gonna Happen

    Donald Trump has suggested he wants to integrate Canada into the United States. Why he wants to do that was not indicated. But the Prime Minister of Canada felt it was significant enough for him to visit Trump and persuade him that it was not a good idea.
   However, a spokesman for the Canadian government said it was only a joke. Even so, Justin Trudeau was on a visit to the incoming president when the suggestion was made.
   Couple this "joke" with an earlier suggestion that the U.S. somehow acquire Greenland and one wonders what kind of humor the incoming U.S. president has.
   In any case, from Canada's view, such a union would mean a loss of independence and loss of connection to the UK. And if Canada became a U.S. state, that would mean a loss of influence by present states, since the House of Representatives limits its membership to the national population of  1912, when the House established its total as 412 members.
   That means if Canada joins the union of American states, it would send two members for the Senate plus an untold number of House members, depending on its population. That would mean some existing states would lose some of its delegates.
   Or, if Canada splits into several states as it joins the union, each of its provinces would get several House members as well as two senators and a similar number of U.S. states would lose representatives.
   Already, this happens every ten years, when the national census determines the total population of the American states.
   Trump has already suggested acquiring Greenland to be part of the U.S., but that too was dismissed.
   But these questions remain: Was the incoming president only joking, or is he ignorant?
   Neither is appropriate.

Quo Vadis

    Where are you going?

   That can be society's motto for America in the near future.

   This implies a pardon to those who might go in a strange direction, and it's a reminder of the full pardon Joe Biden issued for his son. Now, with all the critical attacks from the GOP Trumpians, it's appropriate to consider a comparison.

   Young Hunter Biden was connected to two legal offenses, and in the context of society as a whole, they were relatively minor.

   1/ Possession of a gun for some 30 days.

   2/ Drug use.

   The two coincided for about five days, and Hunter quit both.

   Compare that to the dozens of more serious offenses perpetrated by many Trump allies -- including himself -- and you have an interesting perspective.

   Granted, Hunter Biden should not have used drugs and should not have possessed a gun at the same time, even considering any personal problems he may have had in his life, including the death of his mother and sister in an auto accident when he was a youngster, as well as the death of his older brother.

   Now make a list of the legal and moral offenses allegedly perpetrated by the Trumpians, and see how much space it takes, as well as the legal punishment -- including prison time -- they faced.

   Then consider the likelihood that the incoming president will impose punishments of various kinds against any and all who have ever disagreed with him on anything.

   Is there a balance?

Promises, Promises

 News media are detailed in their coverage of the incoming president's choices for his senior staffers.
   But his reaction to criticism from commentators borders on and often passes the level of threat.
   Threat, you say? Against the news media? Pshaw. That's not a threat, some insist. Rather, it's a promise that others must talk nice about him or go to jail.
   They will not pass Go, they will not collect a bonus, and they will lose their license to do business, especially in journalism.
   It matters not what the Constitution says. The president will suspend it, as he has warned. Keep in mind, however, that it will only be for Day One.
   That's what he promised, his followers insist.
   But will he keep his promise?
   What's his history of keeping promises?
   History is only a story, some remind us, and it's a word borrowed from the French l'histoire.
   Meanwhile, this question remains: What will the news media do about his threat to shut down any and all outlets that dare to criticize what he says and does?
   Perhaps that includes us, and others who use a public forum to discuss issues.
   We'll deal with that issue when and if it happens.
   Even so, the threat exists.

Government To Come

   If the announcements of key appointments to be made by the incoming president are any indication of what the nation will face in the coming years, there will be changes bordering on the spectacular.
   Or perhaps I should say "spectacle."
   Already, the series of appointments raises questions about the plan the soon-to-be president has for the nation at large rather than plans for his own family buddies.
   Someone has compiled a list of all the legal offences perpetrated by the nominees. It's too long to print here, but in any case they are a matter of public record.
   Some, of course, are on appeal or have not completed their journey through the legal system, but they are still a matter of public record.
   Perhaps the incoming president will  exercise his prerogative as chief legal officer and issue full pardons for all his buddies.
   Except for state offences. A national president has no authority over them, regardless of what he may assume.
   And we know what happens when you assume.
   Meanwhile, the question gains in importance: What kind of government will we have after January 20, 2025?

Pelagius Meets Grendelson

A Story
By John T Harding

  Pelagius moved across the room where Fendelthor Grendelson was napping.
   "Meow," he whispered as he waited for the cat to respond.
   "I know you're there," Fendelthor hissed. "Mockery will get you scratched. What do you want?"
   "It's time for people to plan how to cope with the preacher who is disrupting the town with his talk about who's in charge of the spirit world," Pelagius said.
   "Everybody knows the Boss is in charge," the cat answered. "This preacher just uses a different name."
   "True," Pelagius agreed. "But this guy, like many other preachers, acts like there is really only one, the one he talks about, and all the names used by others is proof that they are wrong and he is right."
   "That's not logical," Fendelthor said.
   "Logic don't enter into it," the spirit answered. "If it did, he would know that names are only labels, and labels change with every language."
   "There's that language thing again," the cat noted. "I wish people would learn to use thought alone to communicate, like we do. That way, there wouldn't be so many problems in the world."
   "The gobbledygook people use these days never did make sense to me," Pelagius said. "It didn't even exist when I was walking the earth. What do they call it these days? English? I was born and raised on the same island, and that chatter they call their language didn't develop until after I left, when the new guys -- the Angles, Saxon and Jutes -- came to make better use of the available farmland, rather than fight over who supposedly owned it."
   "All that aside, the cat interrupted, "how do we get the local preacher to admit that his version of a belief system is just one of many, and is no more correct than any of the others. From what you tell me, the Boss approves of them all."
   "Except those who use it as an excuse to beat up on the others," Pelagius said. "The Boss does not approve of that."
   Fendelthor hissed. "Then why does he let it happen?"
   "We've been through that before," Pelagius said. "It's called free will."
   "And that's why all these people can't get along," Fendelthor said. "They all want to be in charge, and have all the others do as they're told."
   "You know what that's like," the spirit said. "Cats do the same, always hissing about who's in charge."
   "It's not a matter of who's in charge," the cat said. "We just want to be left alone."
   "Yeah, right," Pelagius teased. "Explain that to people whose cats want to sleep on their lap all day, whenever they sit anywhere."
   "That's easy," Fendelthor said. "Their reward is warmth and purring. That's our way of thanking them for providing a home. That and catching any mice that try to come in. I learned that from my father."
   "His name was Grendel, right?" Pelagius said. "I knew his namesake, back in the day. He became famous on his own for his bouts with my Norse brethren. The sad part of that story is that all of their adventures are taught as fiction, and not as true stories."
   "I know what that's like," Fendelthor said. "My people used to talk to each other about those days, and even then they dismissed the stories as just that -- stories, meant only for entertainment."
   "Stories should be entertaining," Pelagius noted. "That's the key to good teaching. It's a way to get people to think. But that's also the reason I had to leave Rome when I did. The Vatican guys insisted that people do as they're told, and believe the stories just as we tell them, and not ask questions."
   "It's still that way," Fendelthor noted. "But that'ss just among people. Cats don't go that route."
   "And you never have, have you," Pelagius noted.
   "Never," Fendelthor purred.

 

(Comments welcome)

King Donald

  Evidence is building that the incoming president of the United States plans to expand his powers over government agencies so he can control all their actions.
   He has named his choices leaders of those agencies only those who are fully loyal to him, and not to the principles of the agencies they would lead. That includes loyalty to the traditions and principles of America.
   Rather, their loyalty should be to their leader, the incoming president, and not to American principles.
   All of this assumes that their nominations are approved by the U.S. Senate.
   But to bypass that dangerous assumption, the incoming president is encouraging the Senate to take a recess, so he can appoint his favorites directly, and without their input, much less their approval.
   Whether the senators take a hike -- even briefly -- remains to be seen.