The message forum is an ongoing dialogue between classmates. There are no items, topics, subtopics, etc.

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Message" button to add your entry to the forum.

Jack Mallory

Robert Hall

Jack Mallory

Doonesbury's not the piece of my life it once was, Robert, but sometimes Trudeau still nails it. I'll admit I get my facts from the digital NYT—I was never very good at folding the paper version, and I don’t get ink on my fingers now. 

Speaking of the NYT—have you been following it's 1619 Project on the 400th Anniversary of the origins of slavery, and its continuing impact on American society? 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/racial-wealth-gap.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Jack Mallory

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/us/david-koch-dead.html

If you can't say anything good . . . 

OK. Silence.

Glen Hirose

Sigh***

I'm afraid Pogo is my generation; he had that suave sophisticated demeanor, extraordinary martial arts skills, and the knack of picking just the right wines for every cuisine…

Walt you deserve a second one of these...

   Katz's Deli

Glen Hirose

   He's Back...

Jay Shackford

August 23, 2019

Old Bone Spurs’ daily helicopter rants reflect a President unraveling at such an alarming pace that it should be sending psychiatric workers in the White House scampering for the tranquillizers and strait-jackets.  What we are witnessing today is not normal, even by Trump’s bizarre standards.   But his behavior is not new.  It’s been right in front of us since Day One when he rode down the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his candidacy, which was really a branding campaign for his company and to promote his personal ratings in hopes of reviving the next generation of “The Apprentice” on NBC.  At that time, the last thing on the mind of “The Chosen One” was becoming the 45^thPresident of the United States. 

In fact, Trump reminds me of that zit-faced 12-year-old (with a soft body who couldn’t throw or take a punch) straddling his bike at the top of his cul-de-sac and bragging to his buddies about how he was the toughest dude on the block.  In his next breath, he was planning the theft of one of his neighbor’s cars for a joyride around Jamaica that night and ordering one of his buddies to hot wire the car and meet the rest of the gang down the street.  

After numerous joyrides and several visits from the local precinct captain, Big Daddy Fred brought that to an end, sending Donald to military school (the last step before Reform School) to straighten him out.  To everyone’s surprise, Trump liked military school and all the discipline and structure that went with it.  It was here where he perfected the art of bullying his classmates and throwing his weight and money around without ever landing a punch, shining his own shoes or making his own bed.  He ruled the barracks like a Mafia boss.  

Not much has changed over the past 58 years.  He is still the same lying, narcissistic, racist, impulsive and raving lunatic that ruled the barracks decades ago.  What’s changed are the stakes.  As the world’s most powerful leader, he can jail babies at the border, send the world economy into recession with his crazy tariffs and on-again, off-again foreign policy blunders or simply pull the trigger and start a new war to rally support among his base as his job approval numbers continue to slip (62% of Americans now disapprove of his job performance, lowest ever).  

In some respects, I’m like Jack – exhausted by the ongoing Trump saga of daily controversies, constant lying (12,000 false or misleading statements since his inaugural) and cruel, racist and hateful policies being pursued by a President who is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified for the office he holds.  But like an old golfer who gets dehydrated playing in 90 degree plus heat, we all need to check in at the local emergency room, get hooked up to an IV of saline solution and come out of ER fighting mad.  

As I’ve said many times before, our President is “bat-shit crazy.”  He’s melting down and getting more and more desperate and dangerous as his poll numbers continue to decline.  It’s now time to end this national nightmare by soundly defeating Trump in 2020 or driving him out of office through the impeachment process.  

Joanie -- is the exhibit open next week?  

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack Mallory

Jay, you missed the most recent delusional symptom. Trump, the head of the party which if it stands for anything anymore (?) is a bastion of resistance to high-handed, big-government interference in the free market, has issued this decree: 

"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA.”

Trump evidently believes “hereby” is a magic word that endows him with the power to “ORDER” things the Constitution does not permit. Imagine the howling from the right, even here in the forum, perhaps even from imaginary participants, if Obama or Clinton had ever claimed a mandate to single-handedly decide where American corporations could do business. But, then, conservatives have pretty much sold their political souls to Trump. 

Jay Shackford

Jack -- You are exactly right.  Trump is losing it ... thinking he can order anyone or any company to do anything that jumps into his disoriented mind at any moment, regardless of whether it makes sense, is legal or constitutional.   Another thing -- it seems like years since we've discussed or talked about the Mueller report.  How time flies in Trump space.  

Jack Mallory

And while the GOP and self-identified conservative independents sit blind and silent, Trump's budget deficit and national debt continue to balloon. Between Trump's spending and tax cuts, the deficit is about to hit $1 TRILLION. Trump campaigned on a promise to ELIMINATE the national debt in eight years, but it's on track to reach almost $30 TRILLION dollars over that time (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/us/politics/deficit-will-reach-1-trillion-next-year-budget-office-predicts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share, https://www.thebalance.com/trump-plans-to-reduce-national-debt-4114401). 

Looks like the right position on guns, abortion, and corporate profits buys a lot of blind silence, eh Jay?

Jack Mallory

Dr. Trump prescribes “a lot of” party-drug derivative of uncertain usefulness and safety for use in treating suicidal depression among his patients at the VA.  

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/trump-ketamine/596716/

Fortunately, real docs at the VA have no intention of following the President's medical advice. As the article stresses:

“Preventing the onset and escalation of depression in high-risk groups . . . involves building community and connection—creating and maintaining healthy avenues for veterans to process trauma, reintegrate into the often directionless maw of civilian life, and recalibrate a sense of purpose and belonging. Putting great hope in a nasal spray—as anything more than an emergency last resort in extreme cases—is to overlook the fundamental complexity of depression, and to miss the root causes of the disease.”

Is Trump concerned with what's best for vets, or what's best for Johnson and Johnson?

Nora Skinker (Morton)

After several days in Atlantic City with friends, I checked the headlines & the forum posts to get caught up a bit.

Hats off to our leader for having the guts to keep the  pressure on China. I hope he can continue to persevere, regardless of political backlash. 

I hope, too, he will keep the heat on Fed Chairman Powell, a la Harry Truman style. Reagan style. 

I hope, too, he will continue to see that we maintain a US presence in Afghanistan & not pull out completely. I am in agreement with Lindsay Graham that we must keep the mayhem there, rather than here: that we may be weary of war but war is obviously not weary of us. 

Am glad to see 60 more miles of wall under construction! 

Meanwhile, as Bill Maher declares how ‘glad he is that David Koch is dead & that he hopes the end was painful’, my thoughts & prayers go forth for Justice Ginsberg & her most recent & (can you believe it?) second battle with Pan Can at 86 years of age. 

Planning a cruise anyone?

Jack Mallory

Maintaining a US presence in Afghanistan:

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/2019-us-combat-death-toll-afghanistan-rises-14-highest-annual-figure

Nearly 150,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan in the 18 years since the war began. Almost 40,000 of these are civilian deaths. https://taskandpurpose.com/afghanistan-iraq-death-toll  The mayhem has very successfully been kept there, except for the relatively small numbers of killed—almost 2,500, and wounded—physically and psychologically, over 100,000–that are American.

“we may be weary of war but war is obviously not weary of us.” What kind of platitudinous mumbo jumbo is this? Some kind of justification for the dead, crippled, blinded, and traumatized that will be created if we continue the war? 

How does our part in the continued carnage in Afghanistan keep us safer? 

**********

Helen Lambie (Goldstein)

Welcome back, Nori. I certainly agree with you regarding poor RBG. What a fighter! I hope she can continue for at least another 18 months. But that’s all I agree with you about. Here’s a little ditty by Joan Baez—taking us all back to our days at BCC and her protest songs then. I’m sure Trump will just add her to his list of Nasty Women https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/06/joan-baez-goes-viral-nasty-man-protest-song-trump-era?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook

Jack Mallory

Ahh, Joan! Not one of her finest efforts, but that doesn’t mitigate the fact that she (no offense meant to past and present Significant Others) has given me more uncomplicated joy than any other woman in my life. 

Here in Concord, three years ago.

Helen Lambie (Goldstein)

I agree, not a good song (though I like the tune) and she agrees too, “not a good song, but it will make people laugh.” But boy, I sure wish I looked as good at 73 as she does at 78. And I’m sure Deb will forgive you.

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Thanks Helen for that link. I LOVE Joan Baez. I went to her farewell concert this past April at the Warner Theatre. She is a beautiful soul and has such a unique voice and she is a fighter for social justice as we all know. i kind of liked the song I think because she sang it. The message is good. thanks again. She touches my heart. Love, Joanie

Jack Mallory

Deb was at the concert with me, Helen. I’m afraid it was probably obvious to her that there was another woman in my life.  

Temperature day time highs in the 70s, this week; night time lows in the 40s. An early fall? The foliage savants are predicting a slightly late and slow onset of color, with long-lasting full colors. “We expect to see more of the softer oranges and yellows than the bold reds . . .”  But the wetland red maples may be popping. 

So peak colors best bet is mid-late October, maybe into early Nov, for prospective visitors. Nora, for better or for worse, you’ll be smack dab in the middle of it.

5 years ago, Oct 12:

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Ahoy, classmates! Happily enjoying your comments re fall colors, art exhibits, Ms. Baez,  culinary delights and such!  Before expounding on issues, let me recommend going up to Cooperstown, NY during the fall color season. Of course, a preliminary requisite might be the desire to visit The Baseball Hall of Fame tucked within the breathtakingly beautiful, Rockwellian little town.  You will need two full days to explore it and believe me, it is not only interesting as heck but absolutely entertaining as well. Stay at a cute little B&B and eat at Nicoletta's, a culinary treasure in town. Both requiring reservations of course. We went the first week in November and thought the colors couldn't possibly be more intense.

Helen, was happy to see that you disagreed with ALL points I briefly mentioned in my most recent post: if, in fact, you do disagree with each point, please share with me (and all) what YOU might recommend we do to stop China from being the cheating trading partner they are (and have been) for so many decades. I greatly anticipate your response, since I think it's a painful time for our country during this tariff "squeeze" and would love to incorporate a Plan B to get to the long-term goal, without these sacrificial days preceding (hopefully) a beneficial deal. The forum is the perfect platform to put those ideas out there and talk about them!

As a second point: the noble endeavor, yet precipitous drawdown of Afghanistan (with which you and Jack apparently agree), seems pretty scary, given the premature decision made by Obama in 2011(against miliitary advice) to pull out of Iraq which signalled the rise of ISIS. It is my understanding that, though drawing down a few thousand US troops is prudent (albeit political), allowing our presence to fall below 8500 troops or so, would be to risk the region becoming a sanctuary for terrorism and therefore result in the rise of ISIS and al-Qaida. That has been the pattern - part and parcel - of the Afghan history. According to Graham, etal., it would be disastrous to outsource our national security to the Taliban, admitting that, though a deal might be struck with the Taliban, it would not be enough to fight the Islamic State terrorist group and al-Qaida in the region.  Assurances and guarantees for our complete security? Of course not - no more than taking air rifles out of American hands will insure the end of murders - but nonetheless, it seems prudent to go slowly rather than completely withdraw and leave an immediate vacuum to be filled by the bad guys. And all one needs do is read Nonie Darwish's books re living under the Taliban to know that they are untrustworthy and exceedingly bad guys, too. (Btw, It may help to know that Graham is preparing legislation that would require the secretaries of Defense and State to certify to Congress that reduction of troop levels to below 8,600 would not create an additional national security risk for the homeland). Yes, we are beyond weary of long standing wars, but as long as we are hated and hunted and threatened, we must be smart and not think radical Islam has changed its ideology one iota against the West. No?

I assume that Bill Maher's hateful rhetoric re David Koch was ok with Helen and Jack, as well? Interestingly, Mr. Koch gave $150M to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2015 which happens to be where RBG had her surgery (treatment to remove her pancreatic cancer) recently. One might assume Mr. Maher is thrilled with the Justice's recovery but not so much with the fact that Mr. Koch's money helped save her. Sadly, his stinging retort upon Mr. Koch's death says nothing about the character of David Koch but everything about the character of Bill Maher.  JMHO.

Jack, I fail to see how advocating a hopeful, new, FDA approved drug to veterans who have not previously responded to adequate trials of the available treatments for major depression, is a bad thing. Why is recommending such a drug overlooking "the fundamental complexity of depression and to miss the root causes of the disease"? Are they somehow mutually exclusive? It would seem to me that bringing public attention to the need alone, is a good thing. And, if the drug only yielded benefits from 1 in 3 trials, how does that eliminate ANY success for those who may need it? My stage 4 sister lived two extra, unpredicted years of quality life after entering and qualifying for an unlikely cancer trial offered by Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2014. Trials are trials but often they are better than nothing. Or is the large company Johnson&Johnson somehow to blame? Please explain.

And finally, since we're all for better border security, aren't we happy to see 60 more miles of wall security? 

Glen Hirose

   The Natz are 14 - 3 since

Jack Mallory

Nora, you read the article on the use of the ketamine-derived drug. It is of unproven effectiveness and safety. Continued testing is ongoing but not completed A man whose only medical knowledge may be limited to the symptoms of bone spurs has instructed the VA to spend its limited funds on large amounts of this drug, which if it were to be used at all it would only be on a small number of patients. If this makes sense to you, Johnson and Johnson wishes you were a judge in Oklahoma!

We were unable to consolidate our control over Afghanistan with as many as 100,000 American troops in-country.  How would keeping 8,000 of our military keep terrorists there from attacking us? What strategy has the Commander in Chief articulated to explain our goals and how to achieve them? What are the benefits that will outweigh our participation in the continued mayhem over there?

***********

The peaceful view as I put in at Grafton Pond this morning.

But, unbeknownst to me, I was leaving behind a grim crime scene.

On my return, I was putting the 'yak back up on the car when the PortaPotty maintenance guy arrived. Suddenly, a police car pulled up (later iterations of this story will involve lights, sirens, helicopters, and the Grafton PD Swat Team).

Yes, the PortaPotty guy had discovered that HALF, FIFTY PERCENT, fully ONE OF THE TWO PortaPotties at the put in had been STOLEN! An entire PortaPotty (and ALL of its contents) gone, purloined, filched, lifted (literally, one supposes). 

The officer was extremely good natured as he took the report, while being teased unmercifully by the PortaPotty guy, the dispatcher ("guess this is the shittiest call you ever got!") and yours truly ("Weren't you in class the day they covered this at the police academy?")

Actually, the officer had a pretty good explanation of what had probably happened. This is rural NH, where there are pockets of real poverty. Some people live in RVs, trailers, houses without functioning plumbing. He figures somebody in such a situation had simply (if that really describes how you'd steal a PortaPotty) taken it home last night. Investigating the crime will consist of driving around looking for a shitter tucked into the woods near such a residence. 

Got to call my buddy Officer John and tell hin this story!

Robert Hall

Sabastian Smee has a thought provoking piece in the Style Section of today's Washington Post titled "A film's cool car deserves a look under the hood" obstensibly about Tarantino's new film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" that turns out to be more of a commentary on society.  www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-ugly-underside-of-brad-pitts-cool-car-in-once-upon-a-time-/2019/08/23/ecedeb20-c388-11e9-9986-1fb3e4397be4_story.html

Nori, Jack responded to your long post so I'll only add that 60 miles of old, deteriorated barrier have been upgraded to new, higher bollard style wall on our southern bolder, but no new wall has been added.  The current budget only plans for, at most, 17 miles of new barriers at this time.  And the American taxpayer is paying for it (and more specifically the American military because the funds were taken from needed base upgrades such as decent housing).  

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Perhaps you would better understand if you were one of the few standing to gain an element of relief from that ketamine-derived drug, Jack. A gamble my sister would surely understand. (When candidate Trump was campaigning, he spoke to the yearning Americans who recognized that when drugs were held up for months & years of testing, desperate, hurting people were being deprived of possible benefits. I suspect some of his urgency to recycle that message explains his insistence on the release of this drug). 

My goodness. What a fool I am! Let me rephrase: since we are all for better border security, I suppose we agree that the “newly enforced” 60 miles of wall is a good thing. 

Love the potty heist tale! And to further convey our ever-regressing society, check this out:

Jack Mallory

“Perhaps you would better understand if you were one of the few standing to gain an element of relief from that ketamine-derived drug.”

Ok, I get it, Nora. You’re not reading the article, which makes clear the possibility that the drug might work as a last resort, when other treatments have failed—on a small number of people. 

“current guidelines, a VA spokesperson told me by email, allow for esketamine’s occasional use in “veterans who have not previously responded to adequate trials of other available treatments for major depression . . . only for the treatment of severe cases of depression where other approaches haven’t helped . . . esketamine was deemed safe enough for doctors to consider prescribing when everything else has failed and a person is still suffering.”

”VA will closely monitor the use of esketamine in veterans to more fully understand its relative safety and effectiveness as compared to other available treatments. Based on this information, VA may revise its clinical guidance and formulary status if warranted.”

In no way does this justify Dr. Trump's orders to the VA to “go out and get as much of it as you can from Johnson & Johnson.”

Though with a half a billion dollar settlement against them just in Oklahoma, I can see why they’d want Trump pushing their pills—at $737.50 a daily dose!

You can read these articles without my help, Nora.

*********

Robert—I couldn’t get through the paywall to that WaPo piece. I get access to some WaPo stuff through Apple News, but not all. You’d think Bezos would give me a paywall key with my Amazon Prime membership! 

*********

Heron tag at home, after kayaking. Creeping up on it, through woods along the river. Sometimes that Sneaky Pete stuff they taught us in the army comes in handy! If I’d been a heron hunter . . . But I haven’t shot at anything with a face for almost 50 years.