Sunday School 9/16/18

FEMA administrator Brock Long made the rounds today, hitting three of our classrooms: Face the Nation, Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday  We'll look at each of those appearances in reverse order.

Before we get into the interviews, here's a quick refresher on the current investigation into Long's potential abuse of official cars.

The IG is investigating whether Long misused government resources and personnel on trips back home to Hickory, NC, on the weekends, said two of the officials. The IG's interest was drawn after one of the vehicles - a black Suburban - was involved in an accident, according to one of the officials. 

There's also noise that Kirstjen Nielsen was concerned about Long's frequent trips home and extensive time out of the office, and that she had talked to him about that - and about resigning.

Chris Wallace didn't mention the investigation, and instead spent the bulk of the interview focused on Hurricane Florence, with only a little bit of time on Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria. On the former, Long expressed confidence that FEMA was well positioned and cooperating effectively with state and local officials in the Carolinas. On the latter, Wallace asked a "simple factual question" whether Long disputed the 3,000 hurricane-related deaths. The response was, well, less than simple. Here's part of it:

Well, there are several different studies that are all over the place when it comes to death; in the official stance of FEMA is we don't count deaths. You know, the only thing that would come remotely close to data that we would have is the funeral benefits that we push forward... And there is a difference between direct deaths and indirect deaths. One study could have studied the entire year that's gone by about a number of indirect deaths over time or whatever, versus a six-month study in George Washington. 

So, that's -- you know, there's a lot of issues with numbers being all over the place. It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not, but we have got to come together as a country to focus on the rebuilding of Puerto Rico and building a resilient infrastructure... 

Frustrated, indeed - by the numbers that were made up to make him look bad.

Let's look at Long's answer to Chuck Todd's question about that 'make president look bad' thing:

Well I mean there's, I don't think the studies, I don't know why the studies were done. I mean, I think what we're trying to do, in my opinion, what we've got to do is figure out why people die, from direct deaths, which is the wind, the water and the waves, you know, building collapsing, which is probably where the 65 number came from. And then there's indirect deaths. So, the George Washington study looked at what happened six months after the fact.

And you know, what happens is -- and even in this event, you might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress. They fall off their house trying to fix their roof. They die in car crashes because they, they went through an intersection where stoplights weren't working/ You know the other thing that goes on, there's all kinds of studies on this that we take a look at. Spousal abuse goes through the roof. You can't blame spousal abuse, you know, after a disaster on anybody.

Stop right there and re-read that italicized sentence again, maybe a couple of times. Because I'm pretty darn sure that you can always blame spousal abuse on the spouse, hurricane or no.  That's a shocking comment for Long - or anyone - to have made. I can't wait for the president to retweet this one.

On CBS, John Dickerson talked about interrupted medical care, which accounted for a large percentage of  Katrina deaths, and Maria deaths as well; he also specifically asked who at FEMA contributed to the George Washington University report. This answer, too, is shocking, but for a different reason.

Yeah, I don't know who they interviewed within the agency. They may have looked at funeral benefits to help, you know, calculate whatever number. And that's a number, you know, that's the only number we would really be able to contribute to any study going forward...

So, multiple times today, Long had the chance to clarify what FEMA knows about the death toll from Hurricane Maria, by simply offering up the funeral benefits figure he cited as facts FEMA could provide. And he didn't do it.  That none of the interviewers asked for death figures shows a lack of curiosity on their part as well.

Long also has zero curiosity about his own agency, to the point that since the GW study came out at the end of August, he hasn't even found out who at FEMA provided information or what information was provided.  How is that even possible? If he knows there was no 'interview' per se but just a data capture, he should have said that, too.

See you around campus.

I'm Not Smarter Than a Michigan First Grader

I was going through some stacks of reading (a trend I've noticed, lately) and came upon a tiny blurb in the 'Only in America' section of The Week, a magazine that compiles US and international media reports. 

Here's what I saw that caught my eye:

Conservative lawmakers have stripped Michigan's social studies curriculum of any reference to civil rights, climate change, or "core democratic values." State Sen. Patrick Colbeck said these phrases are "not politically neutral."  Other referenced removed include Roe v. Wade, the NAACP, and gay rights. Students will be taught that "the expansion of rights for some groups can be viewed as an infringement of rights and freedoms of others."

Now, as the daughter of a social studies teacher (and a straight A student throughout my elementary and secondary educational career in that particular subject), you can probably imagine why this one was intriguing.

My dad was a creative social studies teacher back in the day, working to get kids thinking about his favorite subject not as a standalone thing, but as something connected to the world we live in. He also tried to have fun; I distinctly remember his trivia questions (pre-Internet, folks) and having to get the answers right myself so I could grade those while he read the essays he was famous for assigning. One question I was sure he had to have made up was the one about a river catching on fire (Cuyahoga River, 1969). I also remember shortened summer vacations, as he frequently was involved in negotiations and also curriculum development - stuff like they're doing around the country these days.

Anyway -- back to the Michiganders and their abolishment of the facts, or whatever it is they're trying to do. What they're trying to do is what many red states have tried to do: take back their curriculum from the liberals. This happens when there's a flip in the balance of power from D to R, from L to R, as it were.

Texas almost let students and dinosaurs walk to school together. Florida let any citizen challenge the curriculum, including statements that the United States is a democracy; it's a constitutional republic, in Florida and too, Michigan. You can read more about that in this article from the Washington Post back in 2015, which concludes after a detailed argument,

But there is no basis for saying that the United States is somehow "not a democracy but a republic." "Democracy" and "republic" aren't just words that a speaker can arbitrarily define to mean something (e.g., defining democracy as "a form of government in which all laws are made directly by the people"). They are terms that have been given meaning by English speakers more broadly. And both today and in the Framing era, "democracy" has been generally understood to include representative democracy as well as direct democracy.

I'm sure that settles nothing, right?

So - Michigan has slowed the process considerably on the modifications, which you can read for yourself  - all 142 pages of it. The documents outline the entire social studies education plan from K-12. I haven't yet read the whole thing but what I did read scares the crap out of me.

Why? Because, to be honest, I'm not going to be able to pass first grade.

Seriously.

 Assuming the edits get approved in their entirety, here's what I'm supposed to know at the age of 6. Under the goal of 'Understand the core values and principles of our unique form of democracy, called a constitutional republic' I should be able to:

Explain fair ways to make decisions and resolve conflicts in the school community. 

The example provided for that first one is majority rule. Which wouldn't have meant all that much to me at that age. I mean, if my brothers and I all wanted to stay up past our bedtime, that would have meant 100% of the children wanted to do the same thing; not only that, but the three of us outnumbered the two parents - so what's am I supposed to be learning here, again?

Next, I should be able to:

Identify and explain how important symbols of the United States of America represent core values.  

And here are the examples of important symbols: Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, White House, Bald Eagle. OK, those I can handle, I think. I could probably even color pictures of them, with the right crayons.

The core values? This where it gets fun:

• equality 
• rule of law 
• unalienable rights 
• limited government 
• social compact theory, and 
• the right of the people to alter or abolish an oppressive government

Limited government? Social compact theory? Altering or abolishing an oppressive government?  Come on! I'm SIX!

I get told when to get up, what to eat, what to wear (or perhaps, what not to wear would be more accurate), and when to go to bed. I have no unalienable rights, my 'government' is my mom and dad, and my rights to alter or abolish them is nonexistent.

I'm not going to get out of first grade, I swear.

Trump in Transition (v33)

Please...

Someone...

Anyone...

PLEASE --

for the sake of the country.

Make him stop tweeting.

Make him stop lying.

Just. Make. Him. Stop.

#MAGA

Wondering on Wednesday (v147)

Random noodling around tonight; we'll see where it takes us. There's certainly a lot going on out there to wonder about.

Do you wonder, listening to president Trump talk about Hurricane Florence, whether he's actually taking credit for her being the biggest one ever to hit the east coast? You hear him talk about his thinking, and that of other really smart people, and I honestly sense a little bit of pride there.

HAHAHA, Obama - take that!  My storm's way bigger than any of yours. Sad! Haahaha. And my hands too....hahahaha! It's going to be a fantastic disaster!! 

Sticking with the president, raise your hand if you have any idea what the president must have been thinking about when he gave a double fist pump and an angry sneer upon arriving at the 9/11 memorial in Pennsylvania.  Personally I think he's terribly unphotogenic, and I think there have to have been more than a few purposefully bad pics of him published since he started his campaign, but here's the thing: you can't be photographed doing a double fist pump as you arrive at a memorial service if you don't do a double fist pump as you arrive at a memorial service. 

I'm wondering, for all you party-registered NY voters, if your phones are ringing off the hook with recommendations for tomorrow's primary, or if it's just me? For example, I had three phone calls from the Communications Workers of America -- my retired husband's union - in 12 minutes. Seriously. And they're calling me, not him, because he's an Independent and can't even vote in the primary for governor. I've had law firms calling to tell me to vote for a specific judicial candidate, and former judges calling for the same race, but a different person.

I've had calls on the Attorney General's race, the governor's race, my state senator - it's a battle royale I tell you.  Anyone willing to hazard a guess on the gubernatorial primary? Will it be the Sonofa Gov, incumbent Andrew Cuomo, or maybe the angry activist, former Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon? Or maybe Syracuse's former mayor Stephanie Miner, who's running as the representative of a new party?

Speaking of Nixon and Miner, should one of them overcome massive odds to win the primary, she would become the 16th woman with the chance to become their state's governor. I wonder who would have thunk that? Even more remarkable, according to the Barbara Lee Family Foundation,

There are currently six women governors, and the most we've ever had serving at one time was nine. Over the course of US history, only 39 women have eve served as their state's governor. Compare that to over 2,300 men.

I wonder if this will be the time the tide turns?

And finally, sticking with politics for the close, NY's 24th congressional district is a mess again, with boatloads of out-of-district money flooding in, like always. The incumbent John Katko is running snotty TV and radio ads during the lunch hour and the dinner hour, daily -- and we've got almost two months until the general election? I don't know about you, but I'm wondering of what he's afraid?

It's a Brand New Day

I'm sitting at my desk contemplating the televised launch of a group of American astronauts into space. Based on an article in the Washington Post, it would go something like this:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Lockheed Martin/Kennedy Space Center launchpad, brought to you by WeatherTech in conjunction with Under Armour. I'm Buzz Lightyear, an animatron brought to you by Disney/Pixar.

We're here today to celebrate the launch of the all new Bud Light/ScotTissue rocket which will send our astronauts sponsored by Doritos Space Blast - a flavor that's out of this world - zooming into space in their Tommy Hilfiger uniforms and their new night vision/3d capable/5G GoPro helmets from Ralph Lauren Space.

We'll be tracking everything on our Quicken Loans launch metrics dashboard tracker; you can download that app, as well as the Kushner Companies astronaut voice tracker app, in the Apple Store and Google Play. 

Joining me now on the Boeing anchor desk designed by our friends at EA Sports are former astronaut and true American hero John Glenn, appearing holographically thanks to VNTANA from Arlington National Cemetery, and Jim Bridenstine, our NASA/Linked in Administrator.

With about 20 minutes left on the Omega launch countdown timer, let's get this party started! Thanks to Carls Jr for this delicious spread you see here, and to our friends at Dunkin Donuts for the SpaceJava extra bold roast coffee the actual humans here are enjoying today. So, Senator Glenn, I'd like to ask you...

Yep, that's right: Bridenstine is thinking we need a little more NASCAR in our NASA.

The constant creep of corporate America into all aspects of everyday life - from the Allstate Sugar Bowl to Minute Maid Park - may soon conquer a new frontier.

The final frontier.

 Apparently, he's asking for NASA to look into opportunities to sell the naming rights to rocket

Is it possible for NASA to offset some of its costs by selling the naming rights to its spacecraft, or the naming rights to its rockets? I'm telling you there is interest in that right now. The question is: Is it possible? The answer is I don't know, but we want somebody to give us advice on whether it is.

Or, maybe having the astronauts featured in commercials or on cereal boxes, like other 'celebrity athletes.'

I'd like to see kids growing up, instead of maybe wanting to be like a professional sports star, I'd like to see them grow up wanting to be a NASA astronaut or a NASA scientist. I'd like to see, maybe one day, NASA astronauts on the cover of a cereal box, embedded into the American culture.

Some of this, certainly, comes from the Trump Administration's pro-corporation/pro-privatization fetish, as we've seen with expanding corporate access to federal lands, and efforts to privatize the VA and other programs, including potentially ending direct funding for the International Space Station, something Congress is not happy about  - so much so that senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and former astronaut Bill Nelson (D-FL) were in complete agreement on the issue.

And, this is not the first time this final frontier marketing stuff has come up. As noted in the WaPo article,

In 1993, a Georgia company called Space Marketing proposed putting a billboard in space so big that it would be visible from Earth. But the plan was met with disapproval form some in Congress, who derided the idea, saying space was a commons that should stay free of advertising. 

 Edward J. Markey, then a Massachusetts congressman, lamented the possibility of children wishing "upon a falling billboard."

"Every sunrise and sunset would beam down the logo of Coke or GM or the Marlboro Man," he said. That would turn our morning and evening skies, often a source of inspiration and comfort, into the moral equivalent of the side of a bus." 

Yeah, but can't you see it?? A Heinz ketchup commercial, with 'Anticipation' in the background, as we wait for the sweet red blob to fall from space and land, a perfect 10, on a 100% all-American  hamburger somewhere in the heartland? Talk about #MAGA!

Of course, there's always a chance that Congress will change their collective mind - especially if we let our elected officials show their own brand loyalty.

 

Whose Fault is This Again?

At some point, likely on September 20th, I read, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. If the timing is right and everything goes according to plan, he'll then quickly be confirmed by the full Senate (I'm guessing with at least a couple of Democrats going along) and will take his seat on the bench on the first Monday of October.

The hearings were as we expected - Kavanaugh bobbed and weaved like a boxer to not answer simple yes or no questions. He got softballs from the Republicans, along the lines of "you're a helluva guy, aren't you, Brett?" and presidentially consequential questions from Dems, some of whom might be in the mix for 2020. Kavanaugh was admonished to 'be careful' how he answered certain questions, as if the hearing room had a bunch of shoes hanging from the ceiling, waiting to drop. None did - at least, not yet. Maybe they're saving those for the big show, the full vote on the Senate floor?

We had protesters (they got removed); we had some documents and we didn't have others, and then we had them, but we didn't read them because there wasn't time; and we released others (Cory I, Spartacus Booker), but they had already been released a few hours earlier (oops). Good theater, but unlikely to make a difference. And there was Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale Law professor; while he offered words in support of Kavanaugh, he had these words of caution for the Dems:

Don't be mad. He's smart. Be careful what you wish for. Our party controls neither the White House nor the Senate. If you torpedo Kavanaugh, you'll likely end up with someone worse.

That, like death and taxes, seems certain, doesn't it?

Lisa Murkowski, the moderate Republican from Alaska, is facing a lot of pressure to vote no, as is Maine's Senator Susan Collins, who has received thousands of wire coat hangers, symbolizing what was before Roe v. Wade, which Kavanaugh could will threaten. But hey - he hired lots of women and minorities, and he coaches basketball!

He could also threaten lots of other things, too - voting rights, rights of disabled; LGBTQ equality, and so on, but that is a consequence of elections, right? We knew all about those consequences when Mitch McConnell slowed approval of Obama appointees to the federal bench after the Ds lost control of Congress, and of course when he refused to allow consideration at all on the appointment of Merrick Garland.

But while the Garland debacle was primarily McConnell's fault, there's blame elsewhere too, according to this article from June. Consider blaming Barack Obama and whoever it was who convinced him Merrick Garland was the right person to nominate for Justice Scalia's seat.

For example, imagine if Barack Obama had nominated the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court - one who was young and unabashedly progressive in her jurisprudence. When McConnell subsequently vetoed her appointment - and thereby nullified Obama's attempt to give a modicum of representation in the halls of high power to the Democratic Party's most loyal constituency - wouldn't it have been easier to mobilize the Democratic base in outrage, than it was to rally them behind Merrick Garland?

Democrats could have painted McConnell's unprecedented act of obstruction as one of racial animus. Then, when Republicans persisted, they could have combined this identify-based appeal with paid advertisements spotlighting how the Roberts Court had eviscerated voting rights, legalized bribery, disempowered consumers, and abetted the dominance of employers over workers - while explaining how Antonin Scalia's replacement could exacerbate these horrors, or reverse them. Hillary Clinton could have campaigned on a promise to install Obama's nominee after November, and invited progressive voters to elect the first woman to the presidency - and (effectively) the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court.

The author, Eric Levitz, notes that this approach might not have been enough to have held onto the Rust Belt and prevented Trump's victory, but there would have been much more attention paid to the consequences of a Red presidential win on the Court. And, he suggests, the message from the Dems against McConnell's obstruction- that we need nine justices because, well, that's how many we're supposed to have - was also unmotivating for the base, and essentially added insult to injury.

So, here we are, facing the consequences of Obama's 'safe' pick of Garland, of Mitch McConnell's iron hold on his caucus, and of all the 'whatever the hell happened' in 2016.

Barack Obama is out on the stump now, telling us that our apathy is the biggest threat to our democracy. At the same time, he's telling us that the problems we're facing now stem from politicians playing to their worst element, for a long time:

It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not the cause. He's just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years.

Solving this is not going to be easy; after all, apathy comes from somewhere, from something, and we need to figure that out, and find people to vote for who can address those needs.

The midterms will be a good test: do we have people to vote for, instead of against? Are the candidates fanning the flames of passion for the future of the country, or fanning the selfish, resentful tribal flames Obama mentioned?

All I know is, if people don't vote now, they're probably never going to.

Sunday School 9/9/18

We had an interesting situation today: two key administration officials, vice-president Mike Pence and counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway appeared in two classrooms, so those are the only sessions I'll be looking at today.

Pence appeared via pre-recorded interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday and with Margaret Brennan on CBS' Face the Nation. Conway visited with Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union, and with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press; let's start with highlights from her conversations.

• On the credibility of the author of the NY Times op-ed, Conway's consistent message was that there was credibility granted automatically because the message was anti-Trump. Tapper noted that he gave the op-ed more credibility once members of the administration tripped all over themselves to let everyone know they were not the author.
• On what would happen if the author's identify was known: all of the news shows would clear their slates, clear their tables, and put the person on the air immediately
• On the possibility of the DOJ investigating to identify the author for 'national security', as Trump suggested, that all stems from not knowing who the person is or what information they have access to, so it could be national security but we don't know. Tapper suggested investigating someone who did nothing wrong by penning an op-ed to see if they did something wrong separately was wrong, but Conway didn't seem to care. 
• On whether she stalled/stopped Bob Woodward from talking to Trump, she denied that was the case. On both shows, she said she 'brought the request back' but not directly to the president, and the request was denied. She could have taken it to Trump, but doesn't say who she did take it to.
• A few of her notable quotables (because she always leaves a few pearls on the floor whenever she goes on the shows: "the line between arrogance and ignorance' and 'motivated by conceit and deceit' and 'the four corners of an op-ed or the four corners of a book.' 

Pence was his usual self - stern, presidential (oops --sorry, vice presidential) when talking to Chris Wallace. For example, on President Obama coming front and center on the campaign trail:

Well, it was very disappointing to see President Obama break with the tradition of former Presidents and become so political and roll out the same tired arguments that he and liberals have made over the last 8 years. The truth is the American people in 2016 rejected the policy and direction of Barack Obama when they elected president Donald Trump...

He suggested to Brennan that Trump is the cat's meow of presidents. Seriously:

I mean the truth is I think president Donald Trump is the most accomplished president of my lifetime and I think already one of the most successful presidents in American history - in our first two years. 

With both Wallace and Brennan, he defended the president chastising AG Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III for the Justice Department's investigations into two apparent crooks in the House.  First, the exchange with Wallace.

CW: The president tweeted, "Two very popular Republican congressmen were brought to a well-publicized charge just ahead of the midterms by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job, Jeff." The president is saying, play politics. Protect members of Congress even if they have committed acts of corruption before the election.

MP: No, I don't think that's what the president was saying at all. Look, the DOJ, as you know, has long-standing guidelines...that say whenever possible the Justice Department should avoid taking any actions that may impact an election. Now the president was referring to that and the difficulty - 

CW: These are two people, one supposedly committing insider trading and the other one who was living high off campaign funds. Are you saying they should be protected because we are close to the midterms?

MP:  They are all very serious allegations and they ought to be pursued but I think the president was referring to the long-standing tradition in the Justice Department to avoid unnecessarily impacting election outcomes and perhaps preventing other men and women from stepping forward and filling those slots in the future.

Which, of course, men and women can do when it's time to fill the seats of these two crooks, but I digress.  Brennan, getting a similar response on the DOJ not 'unnecessarily' impacting elections, took a slightly different tack:

MB: So Jeff Sessions, you agree, was correct in his actions?

MP: What I want to say, Margaret, is what the American people appreciate is this president says what he thinks. He lets people know what he feels about things, but and - and - and really in a very real sense, what you see is what you get with president Donald Trump. And I think that's the reason why he's made the connection that he's made with people all across this country because -

MB:  But - but with something like that --

MP: Washington DC - while Washington DC focuses on -

MB: - when it has to do with a legal matter 0

MP:  - these various controversies - 

MB:  - people argue that that's dangerous - 

MP:  - he's focused on their interests.

MB: That may be  - that may be what he thinks, but there's a danger to saying things like that because it suggests that the rule of law should be subjugated to politics.

MP: No -  this is a president who has strongly affirmed our commitment to the rule of law and to the, to our justice system.

Um, sure. We strongly believe in justice and the rule of law except when it messes with out ability to hold a majority in Congress -- got it.

With Wallace, he talked about Syria, and mentioned chemical weapons several times, even as Wallace tried to steer him away from that very specific act of war. 

CW: Let's say it's not chemical weapons, let's say it's barrel bombs, let's say it's conventional weapons, are we going to let hundreds of thousands of people die there, sir?

And then

CW:  But, sir, dead is dead. I understand - I take your point about the chemical weapons.

Pence, for his part, talked about chemical weapons - twice - when he finally answered the question that was specifically asking about not chemical weapons.

MP: I want to make it very, very clear. There's a wider world watching, is that the United States of America and our allies will take swift and decisive action against any use of chemical weapons in Idlib province. Beyond that I will tell you that we are watching very carefully as resources are being marshaled along the border of the Idlib province. 

And I'm confident there will be a decision by the president of the United States, but I'm confident that we will be monitoring that very, very carefully to ensure that we don't see another humanitarian catastrophe like we did before.

Like I said, Pence was doing his darnedest to sound presidential, just in case there's anything to that book and that op-ed...

See you around campus.

TGIF 9/7/18

How was your week?

The president had an interesting one, it seems. First there was Fear, Trump in the White House, the new book by Bob Woodward, in which everyone who works for the president says the same stuff about him as my friends (on both ends of the political spectrum, to be sure).

You know: crazy town, elementary school understanding of issues, lots of name calling, lots of out-in-left-field idea like assassinating foreign leaders, and stuff like that. Did I mention name calling? That apparently goes both ways - administration folks calling Trump names, and of course the president doing his best keeping up with them.

The book is out on 9/11 - perhaps that's a particularly pointed jab at the president. I can almost hear the update from the Terrorism Alert Desk...

And then there was the weird op-ed from the anonymous senior official in the Trump administration, which came with this dramatic editorial note:

The Times is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure. We believe publishing this essay anonymously is the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers.

 From the author, we see things like this:

It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room. We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what's right even when Donald Trump won't.

The result is a two-track presidency. 

Um, OK, I guess.  There aren't a lot of details, or a lot of news.  It might even be a nothing burger, as Trumps like to say, except for all of the denying authorship and guessing who might have been the author. And the fact that the president things Jeff  - that would be Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III - might need to do some poking around.

That would make it much more interesting, for sure, especially since the haystack from which he'd need to find the needle could be as many as 4,000 presidential appointees and Senate-confirmed employees. Or, depending on your definition of 'senior official' it could be maybe a dozen or so.  Fun time, fun times.

Who else had an interesting week?  How about Nike? Just do it, someone said - stick with a tradition of  having athletes say controversial things, or have controversial athletes say non-controversial things, just like they've been doing all these years. And it seems to have worked out just fine.


After initial reaction from folks who were aghast at the selection of Colin Kaepernick as the face of the 30th anniversary Just Do It campaign, the stock fell a few points, and several people posted videos of themselves burning their Nike gear.

Which led to the best PSA ever.  Well, maybe not better than the crying Indian, or the first Smokey the Bear, but it's up there.

I expect this coming week will be calmer - Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed and there'll be Democrats voting for him, I'm sure.

Barack Obama will make another speech, as will the president, both stumping for their desired outcome in the upcoming midterms.

The spectacle of protesters being dragged out of a Senate hearing room will be forgotten, quickly - probably almost as quickly as plaid shirt guy, the nonconforming Trump 'fan' who was replaced during the president's ramblin wreck of a rally in Montana.

TGIF, everyone.

Wondering on Wednesday (v146)

Let's ponder, let's wonder, about the op-ed that appeared in the NY Times this afternoon.

The piece was published anonymously, at the request of the author.  That person, a senior official, requested anonymity because his or her job would be in jeopardy otherwise.  The author's identity is known to the Times.

President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader. 

It's not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump's leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the house to an opposition hellbent on his downfall. 

The dilemma - which he does not fully grasp - is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to  frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

Holy defending America, Batman. Holy resistance. Not that kind of resistance, the author points out - not the capital R kind, but the kind that seeks to have the president be successful, and at the same time honor their duty to country first. And the country needs protecting from Trump's worst instincts, it seems.

And, of course, there's that other thing, the thing we've known for a long time:

The root of the problem is the president's amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.

Here's one more, before we move on. After telling us that we'll be OK because "there are adults in the room", the author notes the following:

The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility.

No wondering there, right?  I mean, that has seemed pretty clear all along.

Also something about which I don't have to wonder are these comments I saw on a post slamming Colin Kaepernick and Nike for the 30th anniversary #JustDoIt campaign. The comments from this person echo the comments of the anonymous senior administration official who penned the Times commentary.

Take a look:

Wow, one of the biggest problems in this country is poor, disrespectful communication. If we take the time to listen to one another, then maybe we can come to a place of mutual understanding.

...I understand how you feel about this protest and I respect your right to feel that way but respect my right  to see it from a different perspective. I have several family members that have served and retired from the military. My great uncle and my great grandfather served in WW2. While serving, they were not allowed to stay in the nice barracks because (those) were for whites only. While serving in the war they were called n@@ger over and over again. When they came home from the war they had to ride in the back of the bus; they couldn't drink at the nice water fountain or use the bathroom because it was for whites only; they couldn't eat in the dining area of the restaurants because it was for whites only.; they couldn't swim in the public FEDERALLY FUNDED pool or play in the park because it was for whites only. Many black soldiers were beat up for wearing their uniform in public and some were lynched for wearing their military uniform for the country they served.  My cousin served in Vietnam, came home and was murdered by the police for mistake in identity. The autopsy determined his hands were up because he had bullet wounds on the inside of is arms. Now the police are killing unarmed black men and going home to be with their families. 

I love America and choose to stand during the Anthem, however I understand and support their right to protest. That is our constitution and the very right our soldiers fought for.

 I have a question for you, if we took our flag and a human being and sat them in front of God, which one would God deem more important? The flag or human life?

This is not for the sake of arguing but to bring us to a place of mutual understanding. God bless you and your family. 

I've got to say, I don't think there's any wondering about the patriotism of the comment's author, or that of his family. Or about the choice God would make if presented with the choice this writer describes.

Standing for Something

No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our each. ~Donald Trump

To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things that you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not. ~Germany Kent

If you stand for something you will have people for you and people against you. But if you stand for nothing you will have nobody for you and nobody against you. ~ Maurice Saatchi

You must stand for something! It does not have to be grand, but it must be a positive that brings light to someone else's darkness. ~Anthony Carmona

I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people and I don't, frankly, have time for total political correctness. ~Donald Trump

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.~Winston Churchill

Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something,we shall fall for anything. ~ Peter Marshall

It's not easy to stand up against your constituents or your friends or colleagues or your community and take a tough stand for something you believe is right. Because you always want to keep working and live to fight another battle and it might cost you your career. ~Caroline Kennedy

There's always opposition when you do something big. I do many things that are controversial. When people see it, they love it! ~Donald Trump

I want to stand for something, and it's probably going to be something that some people stand against. ~Blake Shelton

Don't believe that winning is really everything. It's more important to stand for something. If you don't stand for something, what do you win? ~Lane Kirkland

When you stand for something, you've got to stand for it all the way, not just half way.~ Kevin Gates

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. ~Donald Trump

Image from Colin Kaepernick

Last Words from a Daughter and Her Father

In this week's Sunday School post, I shared some of my favorite excerpts from the many eulogies of Senator John McCain, and promised today I'd share more from two final sets of remarks - those of Meghan McCain on her father, and those of the late senator himself, in a message to America.

#PromisesKept, as they say. Here are some of Meghan's comments:

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for, and I hate very much to leave it."

When Ernest Hemingway's Robert Jordan, at the close of For Whom the Bell Tolls lies wounded, waiting for his last fight, these are among his final thoughts. My father had every reason to think the world was an awful place. My father had every reason to think the world was not worth fighting for. My father had every reason to think the world was worth leaving.  He did not think any of those things. Like the hero of his favorite book, John McCain took the opposite view: You had to have a lot of luck to have had such a good life. 

I am here before you today saying the words I never wanted to say, giving the speech I have never wanted to give, feeling the loss I never wanted to feel. My father is gone. John Sidney McCain III was many things. He was a sailor, he was an aviator, he was a husband, he was a warrior; he was a prisoner, he was a hero, he was a Congressman, he was a Senator, he was a nominee for President of the United States. These are all of the titles and roles of a life that's been well lived. They're not the greatest of his titles, nor the most important of his roles. 

...the best of John McCain, the greatest of his titles and the most important of his roles was as a father. 

Imagine the warrior of the night skies gently carrying his little girl to bed. Imagine the dashing aviator who took his aircraft hurtling off pitching decks in the South China Sea, kissing the hurt when I fell and skinned my knee. Imagine the distinguished statesman who counseled presidents singing with his girl in Oak Creek during a rainstorm to Singing in the Train. Imagine the senator, fierce conscience of the nation's best self, taking his 14-year-old daughter out of school because he believed I would learn more about America at the town halls he held across the country. Imagine the loyal veteran with his eye shining with happiness as he gave blessing for his grown daughter's marriage. You have to imagine that. I don't have to, because I lived it all. I know who he was; I know what defined him. I got to see it every single day of my blessed life... John McCain was defined by love...

Dad, I love you, I always have. All that I am, all that I hope, all that I dream is grounded in what you taught me. You loved me and you showed me what love must be. An ancient Greek historian wrote, "The image of great men is woven into the stuff of other men's lives."  Dad, your greatness is woven into my life, it is woven into my mother's life, into my sister's life, and it is woven into my brothers' lives. It is woven in the the life and liberty of the country you sacrificed so much to defend...

And finally, from John McCain himself; the full contents of his letter can be found here.

...I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth.I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my live, all of it. I have had experiences, adventure and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else's.

I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America's causes - liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people - brings happiness more sublime than life's fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by servicing good causes bigger than ourselves...

We are three-hundred-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometime even vilify each other in our raucous public debates but we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do...

Do not despair our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

Sunday School 9/2/18

I'm pretty sure the bulk of the conversation in the classrooms today were about Senator John McCain, whether it's talk about who was or wasn't in attendance, or snippets from the many speakers who honored McCain, or the 'what it all means' parts.

So, I sat this one out - I played hooky this morning.  I spent time in my garden, forming my own opinions, liking what I liked, appreciating (or not) the sincerity of the words we heard over the past few days and, honestly, struggling a little with the amount of 'Trump bashing' that occurred, both spoken and implied, even as I understand where it comes from and why it came out at this particular moment.

I reflected on the many good graces that were present throughout the past week, and fleetingly on the petulance and childishness that emanated from some (we, and they, know who they are). Here are some excerpts from the many tributes in McCain's honor.

From Joe Biden, more than a Senate colleague, a close friend from their earliest days in DC, on why people have been so moved by McCain's passing:

Look, I've been thinking this week about why John's death hit the country so hard. Yes, he was a long-serving senator... Yes, he was a two-time presidential candidate... and yes John was a war hero... But I don't think that fully explains why the country has been so taken by John's passing. I think it's something more intangible. 

I think it's because they knew John believed so deeply and so passionately in the soul of America. He made it easier for them to have confidence and faith in America. His faith in the core values of this nation made them somehow feel it more genuinely themselves... It made the average Americans so proud of themselves and their country. He belief...that Americans can do anything, withstand anything, achieve anything...was unflagging and ultimately reassuring... that we truly are the world's last best hope. the beacon to the world. There are principles and ideals more than ourselves worth sacrificing for and if necessary, dying for. Americans saw how he lived his life that way, and they knew the truth of what he was saying.  

To paraphrase Shakespeare, we shall not see his like again.  

From Paul Ryan, House Speaker, leaving politics this year, on speaking of McCain in the future:

He never lost the joy that time can dull, or the edge that political life often sands away. I..from time to time found myself on the receiving end of John's distinct brand of candor, happily so. I remember thinking more than once yeah, he really does talk like a sailor. But...with John, it was never feigned disagreement. The man didn't feign anything, he just relished the fight. He showed us that in the arena, the honest back and forth, that's where the cause gets bigger, that's where the triumph is all the sweeter. We get stronger at the broken places... I think ahead to the day when I, like so many, will bring my own children and perhaps their children to that hallowed lawn in Annapolis. I think about that, about what I might say to them. "This is one of the bravest souls our nation has ever produced. However you choose to do your part, I hope you do it the way he did... Playing for keeps, never back on your heels. Never letting principle yield to expediency...and always having a great story to tell." 

From Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State who first met McCain when he was released from Vietnam back in 1973:

Honor - it is an intangible quality, not obligatory. It has no code. It reflects an inward compulsion, free of self-interest. It fulfills a cause, not a personal ambition. It represents what a society lives for beyond the necessities of the moment... For John, it was a way of life. 

John was an exponent of an American strong enough to its purpose, but (he) believed also in a compassionate America... He warned against the temptation of withdrawal from the world. In this manner John McCain's name became synonymous with an America that reached out to oblige the powerful to be loyal and give hope to the oppressed.

The world with be lonelier without John McCain, his faith in America and his instinctive sense of moral duty. None of us will ever forget how even in his parting, John has bestowed on us a much needed moment of unity and renewed faith in the possibilities of America. Henceforth, the country's honor is ours to sustain.

From Joe Lieberman, one of McCain's closest friends, who spoke about the human John McCain:

...becoming John McCain's friend is one of  the great blessings of my life...John and I got to know and trust each other as friends in a way that doesn't happen, because it can't happen any more in the frenetic Washington life of senators. Our friendship taught me many things, including I must add, some jokes that I otherwise never would have known. 

I can tell you that he was a real friend in accommodating what were to him my unusual practices as a religiously observant Jew, whether it was walking with me on a Saturday to an important meeting or turning down a popular Friday night dinner invitation... because it was too far to walk... John naturally in doing these wonderful acts of friendship grumbled all the way about what I was putting him through, you know. Right now I think he's probably deriving some pleasure from the fact it turned out his funeral was held on a Saturday and I had to walk to get here. I'm sure if he were here now, he would tell me that was divine justice. 

From Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, who's been friends with McCain for more than a decade, and who visited Vietnam, walked in John McCain's steps, sat in his cell at the Hanoi Hilton:

Many people might wonder what a young, African American kid from Minnesota and a highly decorated Vietnam War hero-turned-United States Senator might have in common... (Note: all of the following pairs of 'commonality' were accompanied by laughter) I'm black. He was white. I'm young. He wasn't so young...He ran for president. I run out of bounds. He was the epitome of toughness, and I do everything I can to avoid contact. I have flowing locks, and well, he didn't... 

While from very different worlds, we developed a meaningful friendship. And this highlights the very rare and very special qualities of Senator McCain that I came to deeply admire. He didn't judge individuals based on the color of their skin, their gender, their backgrounds, their political affiliations or their bank accounts. He evaluated them on the merits of their character and the contents of their hearts,  He judged them by the work they put in and the principles they lived by...  While some might find our friendship out of the ordinary, it was a perfect example of what made him an iconic figure of American politics and service to fellow man. 

He celebrated differences. He embraced humanity, championed what was true and just and saw people for who they were.  

From President George W. Bush, with whom McCain both worked and battled:

John is the first to tell you that he was not a perfect man but he dedicated his life to national ideals that are as perfect as men and women have yet conceived. He was motivated by a vision of America carried ever forward, ever upward, on the strength of its principles. He saw our country not only as a physical place or power, but as the carrier of enduring human aspirations. As an advocate for the oppressed, as a defender of the peace, as a promise, unwavering, undimmed, unequalled. 

The strength of democracy is renewed by reaffirming the principles on which it was founded and America somehow always found leaders who were up to that task, particularly at the time of greatest need. John was born to meet that kind of challenge, to defend and demonstrate the defining ideals of our nation. If we're ever tempted to forget who we are, grow weary of our cause, John's voice will come as a whisper over our shoulder, "we're better than this. America is better than this." 

John was a restless soul. He really didn't glory in success or wallow in failure because he was always on to the next thing, said he can't stay in the same experience.  One of his books ended with the words "and I moved on." John has moved on, He would probably not want us to dwell on it, but we are better for his presence among us. The world is smaller for his departure, and we will remember him as he was: unwavering, undimmed, unequalled. 

And finally, from President Barack Obama, who defeated McCain in the 2008 election.

I have a reputation for keeping cool, John not so much. We were standard bearers of different American political traditions and throughout my presidency, John never hesitated to tell me when he thought I was screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day. But for all our differences, for all of the times we sparred, I never tried to hide, and I think John came to understand the long-standing admiration that I had for him.

But to know John was to know that as quick as his passions might flare, he was just as quick to forgive, and to ask for forgiveness. He knew more than most his own flaws, his blind spots, and he knew how to laugh at himself. And that self awareness made him all the more compelling.

"Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be, but what will happen in all the days that will ever come can depend on what you do today."  What better way to honor John McCain's life of service than, as best we can, follow his example to prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight for this country is not reserved for the few, it is open to all of us, and in fact it is demanded of all of us as citizens of this great republic. 

That's perhaps how we honor him best, by recognizing that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power, things that are worth risking everything for, principles that are eternal, truths that are abiding.  At his best, John showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt. 

There are no classes tomorrow, but I'll be posting excerpts from Meghan McCain's moving comments about her dad, and his own last words to us all.

See you around campus.

The Update Desk: Vending Machine Tax Break

A couple of weeks ago, in this Meanwhile, Back in Albany post, we learned about a really cool tax break - known as a 485-a - that developers can get when they put commercial space in their residential buildings.

In the case of the Three Vending Machines, it was a local project, Copper Beech Commons, built by a local developer who has made a difference with several of his properties over the years. But in this case, having the vending machines garnered the project some $3 million in property tax savings, and I think cost him a little bit of respect.

Now, clearly the NY Legislature didn't intend for this to happen -- as the prior post noted, we're burdened with a number of at least OK ideas put into law, only to have them identified as ripe for the picking by smart lawyers (or campaign donors, as the case may be).

For Copper Beech Commons, however, it seems the leaves have fallen, or something. In an article last week on Syracuse.com, Tim Knauss followed up on his original story and let us know that  Syracuse city assessors have been out inspecting properties claiming the 485-a tax break "where commercial operations were not readily evident from the street."

A small office at the property has been cleaned up, with new doors added, to try and entice a small business to lease the space and preserve the tax break. Why? Well, as city assessment commissioner David Clifford noted,

Vending machines are not a commercial use, especially when they're owned and operated by the building owner. As far as I'm concerned, that's just like having a washing machine in the basement.

The assessors last warned the developer that the vending machines did not count for the exemption four or five years ago, so there should have been no surprise that there could be problems once the last (and only) tenant of the space moved out in 2015.

I hope the developer finds a tenant, or refunds us all of the tax money he got illegitimately for all those years. More importantly, I hope we can count on city officials to consistently be good stewards of our tax dollars, and that our legislators can find a way to correct these 'good ideas gone bad' laws while they're sitting around waiting for their leaders to come up with next year's budget.

The Update Desk: Casino Gambling

It's almost hard to imagine that I'm able to write - again - on New York's great experiment with casino gambling.

Most recently, in this post, we learned about the downgrading of del Lago's rating by Moody's, and it's accompanying gloomy outlook that del Lago is not viable without some restructuring, and in this post, we learned that del Lago and at least one of the other new casinos was looking for a better tax deal from the state. (These are just two of several posts I've done on this subject over the past four or five years.)

And then, just a couple of weeks ago, we got news that the newest, the biggest of the four approved casinos (please, don't let them build any more of the darn things!) is also in a bit of a pickle.

It seems that Empire Resorts, which built the new Resorts World Catskills casino, lost over $58 million in the first five months it was open. The company also owns the Monticello Raceway, what we here in NY call a 'racino' as it has both harness racing and slot machines. According to the company's SEC filing from June 30,

We cannot be certain that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, that our anticipated earnings from the Casino will be realized, or that future borrowings will be available under our existing debt arrangements or otherwise to enable us to service our indebtedness or to make anticipate capital expenditures... Our future operating performance and our ability to service our debt will be subject to future economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. 

As it did with del Lago, Moody's downgraded Resorts World Catskills' rating.

Now, I know the language used in SEC filings is almost as carefully crafted as a Hollywood script or a politician's concession speech, but you can see that they're struggling with cash flow and debt, the same as del Lago and Rivers. Tioga Downs, in the Southern Tier, may be doing a little better.

The latest article notes that 'informal' requests for help from the state, the ones made by del Lago and Rivers, were rejected.  And it has a link to another article that proves what most of us knew all along, and what the experts have been saying for a couple of years: the upstate market is over-saturated with gambling opportunities.

How so, you say? Well, take a look; in addition to the four new  under performing Vegas-style casinos, we have

• seven Nation owned casinos
• six racinos (including Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, which has had its own issues)
• one thoroughbred track
• 120 Off-Track Betting locations and
• three Nation-owned electronic gaming locations

Add in the ready availability of online gambling, and legalized sports betting (likely coming to New York in the near future), and it's hard to imagine anyone would think we're over-saturated, right?  

Time will tell whether all those things that are beyond the control of the casino owners will turn in their favor or turn against them like a bad hand of cards. What remains important is that we taxpayers aren't called upon to bail them out. 

After all, while the local casinos are happy to show us pictures of their lucky winners, we never see any pictures of people the casinos bailed out after a losing streak.

Wondering on Wednesday (v145)

Wondering what happens when you Google 'Trump News'? Here, I took one for the team.  Taking the step to go first to Google News, and then search for Trump News. I get this.

As you know, what you see when you search for Trump News and what I got will almost certainly be different because you and I are different and because we're searching at different times, and so on.

For example, because I follow the president on Twitter (forewarned and all that jazz), his tweets are featured prominently on my search page.  Also featured in the search, in case you're wondering, is this article from PolitiFact:

Trump tweeted that "96 percent of (Google News) results on 'Trump News' are from National Left-Wing Media."

This figure is based on a non-scientific study from a conservative website that categorized any media outlet not expressly conservative as being part of the "left." These outlets include wire services, broadcast networks and most major newspapers and collectively account for a large percentage of original news reports produced in the United States. The methodology essentially preordains that a large percentage of coverage captured by Google will be what the study defines as "left." which is wrong. 

We rate the statement False.

No surprise there, in case you were wondering.

Moving on to more fun wondering, what will it look like when some 100 pink Cadillacs line the street at Aretha Franklin's funeral?  The word was sent out to Mary Kay consultants across the land, and really to anyone else who has a pink Caddy, and they're coming from as far as Texas and Florida. That surely will be a sight to see, don't you think?

In a remarkable effort to help other people, NFL star JJ Watt raised over $41M for Hurricane Harvey relief, via a GoFundMe page.  This week, the first anniversary of Harvey, Watt said that he had distributed all of the money through eight groups; their efforts, according to the Houston Texans,

have been used to clean up and rebuild more than 600 homes and 420 childhood centers, distribute more than 26 million meals and provide health care to more than 6,500 people. 

In a statement, Watt said

As I reflect on the events of Hurricane Harvey one year ago, the memories of destruction and devastation remain, but they are accompanied by memories of hope, selflessness and the beauty of the human spirit. The actions of professional first responders and everyday citizens alike were an inspiration to the world and a shining example of the inherent good that lies within us all...

While a great deal has been accomplished in the past 12 months, there is still much work to be done. Moving forward, there will be more of the same, as we continue to work with our incredible nonprofit partners to provide as much help and support as we possibly can for those affected by Harvey. I cannot thank everyone enough for your support and generosity.

A couple of things come to mind reading about this tremendous effort: first, what an amazing accomplishment, to contribute so much and get others to contribute as well, to help perfect strangers.

At the same time though, it's painful wondering what the folks in Puerto Rico must be feeling, a couple of weeks shy of the anniversary of their nightmare, Hurricane Maria.

The big new number for them is not record millions of dollars of charity being distributed, it's an almost overwhelming adjustment to the official death toll of the storm. The original number, 64, was widely hailed by the president as a success story for the federal effort after the storm; the new number, an estimated 2975 storm-related deaths, came from a study by George Washington University.

The study let to renewed criticism across multiple fronts.

Trump in Transition (v32)

Trump's transition from reality TV star and cheap brand merchandise hawker to president has gone completely off the tracks. Again. For the umpteenth time.

Last night, after the president finally succumbed to pressure and issued a proclamation ordering the flag over the White House to be lowered back to half staff to honor the passing of Senator John McCain, I lost it when I read comments from one of McCain's colleagues, Senator James Mountain Inhofe of Oklahoma, who partially blamed McCain for Trump's inability to act as if he were a human being.

Here are a few excerpts from my post on another social media platform:

It is not John McCain's fault, in whole or part, that the president still does not understand that the world does not revolve around him, and that as president he has the opportunity - strike that, he has the responsibility - to rise above the petty nonsense and just do the right thing...

Yes, it is within the rules to take the flag down only for a day - I get that - but it's also within the president's role as Commander in Chief and as alleged leader of the country to do the honorable thing and pay his respects...

I was not alone in my thinking, nor did I think I would be. Anyone with a heart, with even a shred of decency or compassion, intuitively understood the right thing to do, and just as intuitively understood that Trump had no clue, had to be pressured to act at all, and acted about as badly as possible.

Here are a couple of examples from others. First, Ashley Parker  in her piece President non grata

Less than two years into his first term, Trump has often come to occupy the role of pariah - both unwelcome and unwilling to perform the basic rituals and ceremonies of the presidency, from public displays of mourning to cultural ceremonies.

The latest snub comes in the form of the upcoming funeral for Senator John McCain (R-AZ), which, before his death, the senator made clear he did not want the sitting president to attend. That the feeling is mutual - Trump nixed issuing a statement that praised McCain as a "hero" - only underscores the myriad ways Trump has rejected the norms of his office and, increasingly, has been rejected in turn. 

Rejected by artists, athletes, and more, Parker notes "the rejection is mutual."

Trump, who prefers the comforts of his Trump-branded resorts and restaurants - rarely ventures far from his cosseted bubble. He is generally uncomfortable crossing into hostile territory and prefers to frequent places where he is likely to be lauded, rather than rebuked. 

She goes on to note that his "disdain for what he terms political correctness" is something he wears as a "badge of pride." What he doesn't realize is that it's a badge of shame in the eyes of many in the country, both promoters and detractors of McCain, and of Trump. Some things are more important than his ego, but he has yet to figure that out.

Another Parker, Kathleen this time, called out the president for behaving like a vengeful brat in her column.

The world seems already a lesser place with the passing of John McCain.

...Despite traits and qualities that sometimes earned McCain enemies among friends, the past few days have been filled with with a sense that we've lost something more than the man; we've lost one of the few remaining remnants of the American honor code. 

Dropping the 'vengeful brat' reference, she says this about Trump:

Perhaps he is aiming for consistency rather than compassion, or maybe he's simply undone by the inevitable contrasts -a larger-than-life hero vs. the trite bully whom even pulpits find distasteful.  

Parker mentions Trump's comment about avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was (his)' personal Vietnam," a comment that demeaned the service of all who died in the conflict, as well as to those who lived through it. She also rightly notes that the word 'hero' is overused these days; I would add that it's particularly overused by the president himself, who has called virtually every first responder a hero, no matter how large or small their contribution may have been to any given situation.

Noting the real reason why McCain was a here -- for refusing early release once his captors realized who he was - she opines rather harshly

This singular act of self-abnegation is no one's to question, least of all president Trump's whose military title is so misplaced that one marvels at the self-control of military leadership, for many of whom nausea must be a constant companion.

(McCain) was a hawkish, pro-immigration centrist when the GOP base was increasingly becoming a hard-right, isolationist bulwark against civility, dignity, and the reality of globalization. Thus, McCain and Trump were full-throated foes, each standing his ground on opposing shores of American rectitude.

In closing, Parker landed where I did: on Trump's slogan.

It is a tragedy that McCain, the warrior-hero, should exit the stage just when his model of citizenship is so needed. But perhaps by his leaving and the eulogies to follow, more Americans will recognize what it really takes to make America great again -- and who clearly doesn't get it. 

Sunday School 8/26/18

Not surprisingly, much of the time in the classrooms today was devoted to remembering Arizona Senator John McCain, who passed away yesterday at the age of 81.  His passing came nine years to the day after his friend and colleague, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy succumbed to the same disease.

Here are a few of the comments from folks across the spectrum, politicians and members of the media alike, and from McCain himself over the years.

From ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

I've had the good fortune to spend 60 years in service to this wondrous land. It's not been perfect service to be sure. And there were probably times when the country might have benefited from a little less of my help. But I tried to deserve the privilege as best I can. And I've been repaid a thousand times over, with adventures, with good company, with the satisfaction of service something more important than myself, of  being a bit player in the extraordinary story of America. And I am so grateful. ~ John McCain

Yes, listen, I'd say to you that as someone who was in that race at that time when the now president made that comment (that McCain was not a war hero), to me, that was the moment of demarcation when politics changed in this country... We were all preparing like, OK, how's the race going to be different with Trump out of it. And the fact that didn't end the race - that was a real change. ~ Former NJ Governor Chris Christie

But isn't it, isn't it worth taking a moment for the entire country to, to see what it looks like to put our country first? Nobody could ever accuse John McCain of being weak or soft or not tough or not petulant from time to time. But he was also a bipartisan, he was also kind, he governed with great dignity and great strength. Isn't that a good motto for us going forward? And if - and if his life it not going to be in vain, America maybe ought to take a moment and think about what that looks like for all of us that are in office. ~ Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

From Fox News Sunday

I remember John for his courage, his tenacity and his wonderful sense of humor. I mean, he was tough as nails, incredibly bright and also just always cracking a joke, always a smile...believed so strongly in America and really a patriot, but always never took himself too seriously. ~ Former NH Senator Kelly Ayotte

John's entire approach to life was we want to get the most out of the time that we have here, so let's did in and get going. And in his case, it pointed him towards public service, service of his country and of the state of Arizona. And he certainly did get the most out of the time he had here. ~ Former AZ Senator Jon Kyl

One of the most significant things he did was when he worked to make peace with Vietnam, a country where he was tortured, where he fought a war. He banded together with John Kerry, who he disagreed with on many things, including the Vietnam War, and said that our past does not have to dictate our future when it comes to our relationships around the world; he normalized relations with the country (that) tortured him. That is an extraordinary statement. ~ Fox commentator/radio host Marie Harf

And NBC's Meet the Press:

In the end, it matters less that you can fight. It's what you fight for that matters.~ John McCain

It was interesting the way he conducted himself in the Senate. He almost would go out of his way to find the Democrat that you would think is least likely to wok with a Republican and try and forge a bond with them. Before you (Hillary Clinton) it was Ted Kennedy. And it's almost become a - it's legendary the way he would try to reach out. ~ Chuck Todd, host of Meet the Press

He really understood in the marrow of his bones what it meant to be an American and how important it was for us to, yes, disagree and differ. But at the end of the day to come together, to work together, to trust each other to get things done. ~ Hillary Clinton

I don't know that we'll ever see anybody who's like John McCain. I think he's one of a kind. I think we can certainly try to follow his example and seeing the good in our opponents and recognizing that people may be on the other side of the aisle or have a different philosophy but they're our friends and they're fellow Americans. I think that that would go a long way if we would follow that example from John. ~ Arizona Senator Jeff Flake

Every time I've done something for what may have been influenced by political reasons, I've regretted it. Every time that I've done something that I think is right, it's turned out okay in the end. I've got to do what I think is right. ~ John McCain

CNN's State of the Union, in mourning today:

We will really be missing such an important voice for national unity. John McCain felt very strongly about virtually every issue he tackled, but it was never based in partisanship. He didn't try to score partisan points as he worked on issues. He would work with anyone who wanted to accomplish the goal that he shared.  But once John McCain made up his mind about something, there was not shaking him..that is a quality that marked his entire life. ~ Maine Senator Susan Collins

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Senator John McCain, to the people of Arizona and America, whom he served so admirably. We remember him as a champion of the transatlantic alliance, and a friend of Germany. ~ German Embassy statement

 John McCain really wanted to be president. And I think he would have been a terrific president. But he didn't want it so badly that he would do things that would undermine or give people pause about their faith in the goodness of this country and its leaders. And I think we'd all do well to try and hearken back to that example going forward. ~ Steve Duprey, former McCain advisor

I don't care, I can take it, but president Trump, or candidate Trump, he should apologize to all of the other POWs out there, because they deserve better than that. ~ John McCain

And finally, Face the Nation on CBS:

Well, he always had a voice of clarity and vision and courage. But I remember those moments of uncommon decency, which is, unfortunately, in short supply on the American political scene.~ Dick Durbin, Illinois Senator

... this is why when, when people talk about his character and his discipline and his honor, it is a durable kind of, kind of character. In other words, it has scuff marks, it's been out in the real world. It's not encased in some glass case and unreal. He failed a lot. He talked about his failures. He beat himself up about his failures and even when he was off course, he was often trying to get back on course which is why so many people look at his life on the campaign trail and thought this is a model for the way politicians ought to behave, but also the way we should behave. ~ CBS anchor John Dickerson

There was a great deal of love for Senator McCain on display this morning. It feels as if a bar has been raised, and we're awaiting the one who will rise to the challenge.

See you around campus.