The Bonfire of the Indians

 Well, that was an interesting trade deadline day for the Tribe.  The next tradeable piece -- Eddie Rosario -- was sent packing for Kung Fu Panda and $2 million in savings (which, with this club, is paramount). As Rosario was hurt and ineffective, this was probably the best possible return; on the other hand, yet another OF FA acquisition was...not good.  Maybe it's something in the front office?

Then, we moved Phil Maton and a prospect to the Astros for Myles Straw.  On the one hand, given his lack of offense, he fits right in with this club!  On the other hand, he is a plus defender (something they seem to value in CF), has some speed, and will probably hit enough to be a #9 hitter.  If to get this it cost us Phil Maton, I think you make the trade.  One would have thought that Francona's absence would have made Bryan Shaw expendable, but I guess 29 other managers and GMs don't have the same capacity for roller coaster relief outings.  Alas.

As a coda, we then sent Jordan Luplow -- a player I liked -- and DJ Johnson (we hardly knew ye) to Tampa for yet another pitching prospect.  I know, the way to get a MLB starter is to start with 5 MiLB starters...but it did seem a bit much, given the club's other needs.  Luplow, I guess, was too injury-prone for the club, which sucked; if he had been able to hit righties semi-competently, he would stll be around...

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/the-american-right-hits-its-hippie-phase/

Interesting, but I am not quite convinced.

Surrender Monkeys

Ha, the Tribe is so bad that not even the manager wants to be around this team!  More seriously, the white flag was raised, and while we are not surprised...well, we also didn't think it should have come to this.  In the meantime, Cesar was the most valuable piece, and the return was about what was expected.  (One of my coworkers noted that in olden days, teams would pick up salary to get a better prospect, and I am still chuckling about that.) I am not exactly thrilled to see Miller back up -- let's hope Clement, who has shown an ability to hit ML pitching, gets some time as well -- but it is time to see if he can hit. The Tribe has certainly been accumulating arms, which in light of the current season, might not be unwise.

I decided to return to the National Film Registry and thus on Sunday I watched "Outrage," a 1950 film starring Ida Lupino.  For 1950, it was quite...progressive?  Basically, she is the victim of a rape and she has to put her life together as best as she can.  Interesting, for the subject matter, the treatment of the victim (sympathetic), and certainly a nod off to what we now would call PTSD...it does suffer from the usual 1950 stuff (happy endings and such) but it is certainly a different look from the time...  This gets me to 756, though I probably re-check that...

Levar Burton, as J! host, is fine; my praise is not as effusive as some of the others out there, but I am also much less emotionally connected to the idea of "Person X as J! host," and that's ok.  I listened to the "annoying" thing that the current champ does, and I certainly didn't find it...annoying. Of course, I don't exactly root for or against people, so....

Normalcy

No post yesterday, as I decided it was time for a bit of normalcy.  One of my former co-workers and I went to see Rise Against at the Beachland last night.  It was a real blast; good to see live music, for one, and a close and intimate venue, so much the better (but, let's face it, this is a COVID pit).  Rise Against, I've always liked, despite their progressive bent (a point my coworker mocked me about); as he pointed out, it's not like they are one of his favorites, but everytime you listen to them, it's a good song... You can say that about a lot of bands, I guess, but in some ways, you can't.  Anyways, they were on for an hour and a half, and it was a rocking fun time...place was packed, and I suspect they, like me, were more than pleased to get out of the house and listen to live music.  Hell, I even bought a T-shirt!

Anyways, this was also this first time I had been to the Beachland; I know, I have been a Clevelander all my life and never been.  Sort of a shithole neighborhood, and shitty parking, so the place will be the next home of my future skeeball league, but the place itself was pretty cool; not a lot venues out there like that anymore.  The bar was fairly priced, I guess, and they have a crap store in the basement which was...interesting?  I don't know; I would go there again, just make sure I get there sooner...

https://www.vice.com/en/article/jpz4ab/moneyball-or-sleazeball-andrew-friedman-and-the-future-of-the-dodgers

I get a kick out of these things; not that they shouldn't sign these guys, but on some level, I see what they are doing here.  This is just one way to get guys at a discount, and, as my sister likes to say, their job is to win games, not win moral awards (see Meyer, Urban, for example).  Hell, don't people deserve second chances?  I do find it amusing that lefties want to get people out of prison and remove the structures of punishment -- which I find largely to be a good idea -- but then exclude certain classes of said people from the deal....

A Milestone of Links

 1100 posts... well, that is something of an achievement, I guess. Obviously, I should be posting more, but... one does what one can.

https://betterletter.substack.com/p/the-better-letter-randomness-rules

Interesting... I can't recall it now, but someone said "Luck is the residue of design," but that's not true, either.  Of course, luck can bring opportunities, and good leaders take advantage of them.

https://taibbi.substack.com/p/on-the-difference-between-smearing

I completely agree with this... of course, I am a pretty dispassionate person, so... this isn't that much of a stretch.  I did appreciate -- immensely -- the reference to the spy wars of the Bush era; I used to mock my liberal friends with jokes about spying on them, and now, it seems, the shoe is on the other foot (ask Tucker Carlson). I do think this is completely natural, and a part of American politics since day one, but it is good to remember that this is not really blood sport.  And with that, I just threw up in my mouth.

And on that note...

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/26/democrats-gop-voting-laws-crisis-500726

This I find hilarious, mainly because 1) A lot of what was done in 2020 was due to the pandemic and I don't think it truly helps Dems all that much (or, lots of GOP voters certainly appreciated all that was done to speed up voting, even if more of us marched to the polls on Election Day) and 2) if they are that concerned about losing votes, they deserve to lose elections. It also plays to GOP fears (baseless as they may be) that the Dems do steal elections and that they are trying to do it again.  It's also suprising that the GOP is actually getting this shit done; for all of the cluelessness we exhibit...this is impressive.

Relaxation

 So... after a busy day yesterday, here I am now...a bit tired.  Made some coffee to power through the afternoon (no naps today!) and am doing so, plowing through links and emptying emails like mad (I also weed-whacked).  One thing I have noticed is the surge in articles about the Delta variant surge, and all I can say is... well, Darwinism is a wonderful thing?  I don't know, I mean, if people don't want to get the vaccine, fine, but then if they get sick and die...so be it.  As the governor of Alabama so eloquently pointed out...you have to blame the people responsible for their own problems.

https://www.davidlgray.info/2021/07/17/pope-francis-traditionis-custodes/

This is a bit heavy, but I think it is on point as to Pope Francis.  Not that I want the Latin Mass back, but... the idea, of course, is that he is destroying the continium of the Church, and its traditions, for...what?  I also think this could be applied to the Dolans and the Tribe.  All of this change, like Pope Francis, will please the people who care the least and alienate those care the most... and then bitch about the results.

In the meantime, the Tribe finally won a game against Tampa Bay, capping off a weekend full of bullpen implosions and poor defense (all of which, of course, are less important than, say, a team name). I suspect that everyone with a seven-figure salary will be dead man walking, to be traded for backup catchers, relievers with TJ surgery scars, and, of course, cash...

Suckitude

 So, the Tribe has a new name...and it's pretty crappy.  The logo is even worse.  To be sure, I expected both. and I will be spending a lot less time at the ballpark...and that's ok. I don't know; I stopped watching the NFL when the Browns went away, and when they came back... I didn't watch then.  I haven't missed much, and I found better ways to spend the time.  I think this might happen again...  I will be quite amused, of course, if people think like me and stop attending games and whatnot; pretty hard for them to be inclusive when they exclude us, or to talk about equity when they can't stop the pitching coach from sexually harassing women.

Went bowling yesterday -- my cousin had a 60th bday bash -- and it was fun, even though I was spectacularly inept at it.  Was a little odd, being inside with people (not all of whom I knew), but it was still fun; I think we have to get back to normalcy one way or the other, and one of the ways to do it is to do normal things.  I will note that this did not stop me from hitting the Indians game (and it will always be so on this page, in so far as I will follow them) Thursday night, which was fun -- being on the Home Run Porch -- aside from them blowing a winnable game.  Now, of course, that we can't change, or make any effort to address...

Quiet day at the food pantry today; the rain -- this week and last -- really keeps people away, which is odd, given that in the winter when it is cold and snowy it doesn't...but rain, even hard rain, and the place needs everything but rolling sagebrush...

Mattie's Adventure in the City

 I crashed hard (quite) last night, which was unfortunate, as I had planned to post.  I took Tuesday to do some errands and cut the grass, which left the rest of the day for fun.  Which, it was. First, I went here:

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/07/b-29-doc-superfortress-one-of-only-2-airworthy-ones-to-land-in-cleveland-for-tours-flights.html

This was pretty cool; I would have liked to have spent more time on the plane, but then again I could have spent $600 on the flight.  Which, I did consider, but given my fear of flying on a modern plane...well, discretion is a better part of valor. Anyways, it was pretty interesting -- I rather enjoyed the chitchat before you went on the plane -- a couple of plane guys, as well as veterans discussing their service, and then you got in through the bomb bay, where they discussed aspects of the plane, then you went into the navigator's section, where you could see the cockpit.  Not a lot of space, and it was certainly not built for older people and those well-fed types nowadays, if you get my drift.  But it was interesting, hearing about the primitive computers used for the aiming system of the machine guns, the pressurized interior, the 14-hour flights, the oil leaks of the engine, that sort of thing.

Side note:  Burke is a beautiful airport, but I can see why they want to get rid of it; not a lot of flights there.  So in that way, it's a waste of space (not that the city could develop the site properly). It would be interesting to me if someone could figure out a way to get more traffic to the place...

Then, after some meandering around the IWASM (also interesting), it was off to Alley Cat for some restaurant tourism.  I hadn't been to the part of the city in a long time; it's certainly built up now. The site itself is quite beautiful; along the lake and the river, gorgeous view.  As for the place...I went with the salmon and ordered some Happy Hour oysters (which arrived the same time as the salmon, oi).  Never had oysters before, so... they were ok?  I mean, I liked them, not too slimy, but a bit salty.  Might try them again, might not.

The salmon was, bar none, the best salmon I have ever tasted.  Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned.  The rest...the sides were just meh...maybe I expected more for the money (imagine that). Jicama-pineapple slaw was just that -- needed something seasoned to bring it together.  Ditto for the quinoa tartare; even with the accompaniment on top, it was a little...underwhelming.  Service was ok; they have a multi-server approach, which I don't like as it leads to hit-or-miss issues... and, of course, it was pricey.  I would go back and try something else, but there are other places to hit...

Unfitful Sleep

 Two downsides to yesterday's long nap...one was that I wasn't very tired late, and didn't settle into bed until after 12.  The worst, though (not that this was a direct cause, of course), was that I a vivid and unsettling dream (I seldom recall them).  Not exactly sure of all the details, but I was in some nursing home, people were dying (no real familiar faces), and I could see their spirits, at times, with various levels of clarity. Of course, when I did wake up, I had generally feelings of crappiness as I contemplated human mortality and what, if anything, this dream meant.  Oi.  Obviously, I need to push through on everything and not sleep during the day.

Did a gym double today -- only did one last week, but I intend to do three this week.  Not only do I need the workouts, it also gives me some reading time, which is always a good and useful thing, as the book list isn;t exactly getting shorter. I am beginning to get the sense that it will never go away.  Also, more or less ominously, I need to get back into watching (or at least trying to find) the films on the National Film Registry.  I got away from it, for a bunch of reasons, but now is as good a time as any to start crossing a few more off..

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/07/why-do-some-mistrust-the-vaccines.php

I had forgotten about these, all of them (not that I pay attention to the twittersphere in general) but now... ,I wonder if anyone is going to ask any of these people about these things, but I think we all know the answer to that one...

Waste

 So, I did the usual morning routine -- church, gym, couple of errands -- and then after lunch I sat down to write some emails, order library books, etc... I was pretty tired, so I decided, why not lay down?  That was 1:30.  I woke up at 5:50...so I took a four-hour plus nap.  On the one hand I clearly needed it, on the other...well, I do feel sort of lost and unproductive (I also missed a Tribe win, by the time I had woken up, gotten a little activity, etc.).  It is also a beautiful day, not that I am a outdoors person.  Still, a stroll or something -- maybe tonight -- might be nice, to say nothing of the continuing fatassery around here.

https://www.mischiefsoffaction.com/post/is-the-senate-filibuster-a-jim-crow-relic-no

I love articles like this, not only for the calling out of the lies, but the deep institutional history...I did like Lindsay Graham threatening to pull a TX Democrat move and flee.  Now, I think he is posturing, and I doubt that any other GOPer (ok, guys like Cruz might, as well as anyone else with Presidential aspirations) would join, but it would be funny as hell, especially if someone like Graham -- who is good with the press -- would point out the hypocrisy in the coverage.

https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/the-us-didnt-start-cold-war-2

Also interesting, mainly because...well, I certainly didn't expect this from Noah Smith.

https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-rising-inequality-doesnt-stimulate-political-action/

I suspect one part of the problem -- not touched upon here -- is that in additional to the economic inequality, there is also the cultural inequality (and I mean condescension) that accompanies it, especially from the coastal types compared to the rest of us in flyover country. I am not sure people mind other people making more than them, it's just that the idea that their opinions are worthless and antiquated and thus deserving of only mockery is the issue.  Kudos to Trump; he nailed it and ran it to a win, and I wonder how the next GOP candidate will do the same...

Alterations

 So, I am reading Only The Ball Was White, the account of Negro League baseball that first brought this facet of the game to the nation's attention.  I am sort of ashamed to say that as a baseball fan I never read it til now.  That said, it is very interesting -- a mix of chapters about the great players and other figures as well as a mainly chronological look at the teams and how they played and operated.  It is very informative, so now I want to read more about it, which is good luck, considering my list as it is.

Had a long and thrilling day of work today, and started with low blood sugar this morning (and last night), so no AM gym (leg day tonight, close enough).  Anyways, I was not feeling dinner, so I decided to bite the money bullet (trust me, I can afford it) and ordered dinner from the Greek fest down the street.  I should have known better than to pick Friday at 6, because it was... a crowded fest, and sort of a clusterfuck. I guess there is no way to do this well; they had four rows of traffic, and people ran your order to your car, but of course if they can't find the order of the people in front of you...  anyways, I always joke that they every year they try to overcharge me; this year, it would have been cheaper than buring gas at $3 a gallon..  The grub was good -- saved half -- but the portions were smaller, too... 

https://althouse.blogspot.com/2021/07/hillbilly-elegy-was-cited-by-hillary.html

I like Vance -- I think he would be a formidable candidate for Senator, if he can survive the primary -- and I don't really think his take here should be an impediment to his candidacy.  Lots of conservatives and Republicans were not thrilled with Trump, but he did deliver -- the Supremes, judges, tax reform, among others -- and it is completely fair for someone to say that.  Hell, I think it demonstrates both his conservative bona fides as well as a sufficent amount of MAGA signmalling, which should be enough.

More Linx

 So, I wanted to post yesterday, but instead, after J!, I went to help a friend of mine -- one of the Millennials -- who was having a financial crisis, all of which was his fault.  Oi. That took a couple of hours to untangle, and while I think I am good at providing advice, no one will accuse me of being a compassionate type, especially regarding financial stuff.  Let's just say that the child is Exhibit A of why we should not cancel student loans...

https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/562991-mlb-all-star-game-whiffs-earns-lowest-ratings-in-history-heres-why?amp

https://theathletic.com/2708010/2021/07/14/mlb-all-star-game-tv-ratings-fox/

Are both of these true? Well, yes.... viewing habits changed during the pandemic.  On the other hand, MLB certainly did its part to alienate viewers; I think it is true that more people were pissed off by the decision to move the game than those who were so moved by the decision to watch it.  Hell, one could argue that MLB fans are...more conservative by nature, perhaps?  Whiter, more prone to tradition, etc.?  Just unwise, I think, to not offer a broad of tent as possible.

https://slate.com/culture/2021/07/conservative-book-publisher-interview-editor-eric-nelson.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Interesting...I liked the take here, and the backhand jabs at liberals (most of which went over their heads, I am sure), but there were some good points there -- conservatives aren't faking it and the whole quality control issue.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/07/liberal-judges-supreme-court-breyer/619333/

Reading this, I thought...this is sort of like Fox News; they've sort of positioned themselves as the home for news on the right, and thus dominate the sphere.  Similarly, the Federalist Society (God bless them) was the first/only place for conservative legal professionals and thus they have a lot of sway.  But for liberals in DC and political circles, there are literally dozens of places to go, and thus the voices get muted.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/06/left-targets-testing-gifted-programs/619315/

As someone who was in the gifted programs, this is crap.  On the other hand, politically, it's brilliant for us, as not only can we hammer them for pushing CRT, but then you can hammer them for saying your kids, smart as they are, have to be held back...

Linx

 So, I didn't watch the ASG...boycotting due to the actions of the Commissioner.  I hope my gesture was not in vain; not that I don't love baseball, as I do, but if we truly believe in "get woke, go broke," we have to practice what we preach, like it or not.  I sort of like the practice, actually, as the people who gave us "Grab Em by the Wallets" get a taste of their own medicine.  Of course, it's not like a ratings bomb will stop Commissioner Manfred, though the end of the ghost runner and the 7IP DH appears to be at an end, or soon will be...

https://www.thecollegefix.com/the-left-wanted-a-culture-war-it-got-one-now-its-upset/

Oh, I don't know...we are engineering this one, not that I mind, because I think it is a winner for us, and all is fair and love and politics.  More seriously, I don't think it is completely unfair to point out that racism has influenced policy and American life more than we would like to admit.  Of course, there are two problems with CRT in general.  One, of course, is that anti-racism has also always played a large part in US history; to be sure, a lot of time those voices were drowned out by the other side, but anyone reading about, say, the Gag Rule, the Freedom Riders, Robinson and Doby, etc., would quickly see that many people (even if the motives were not as pure) were for equality.  Two... if they punishment for racism is cancellation...well, when do we start?  FDR obviously was one, so there goes the New Deal?  I get my Social Security money back?  Sweet!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/seeing-america-from-the-ground

Good take from a reporter who consistently understands this part of the US...

https://theathletic.com/2697404/2021/07/12/the-battle-for-talent-in-ohio-osus-dominance-cincinnatis-emergence-kentuckys-pitch-michigans-absence/

I love all this inside baseball stuff, not that I am a huge college football fan, so I clicked on it.  Interesting in the point of view from that of the coaches, for one.  Also...is it me, or did a couple of these guys shit on Urban Meyer?  I am not exactly surprised -- not that I approve or disapprove of kicking a man while he is down -- but it seemed that they were praising Tressel and Day while saying that Urban was....interested in a more transactional relationship...

Resignation

 Two posts in one day?  Why not...I owe for the days I have missed.  Actually, it was a good day; one main issue being that for all my plans of working on a long-term project of mine that I just returned to, I didn't do anything with it.  Alas.  That said, I hit the gym, did a bunch of errands, went through some links and emails, and even watched the movie that came in through the wonders of Netflix -- "Blue Chips," an early 90s film about college basketball and payola.  It is...well, I suspect the sport was always embedded in cash, and while certain parts of the film are not exactly realistic, a lot of them were...and, of course, nothing has exactly changed since then.

I am about halfway through The Working Class Republican, a bio about Ronald Reagan -- his politics, his governing philosophy, that sort of thing.  It's interesting, as the author tries to paint him as a conservative but of the RINO school (if you will).  He makes the point pretty well, but the problem is -- from our side -- is that much of what Reagan was trying to conserve is what caused the problems in the first place, and in conserving, much worse has come about... no conservative seems to be able to solve it, which is THE problem...

I completely ignored the HR Derby and thus was surprised that Shohei Otani was eliminated early... not sure what it portends, save that whatever it is, it isn't baseball...

Recovery

 Long weekend...was in a wedding, which meant the full range of festivities.  Then, yesterday, I attending a Christening; not the godfather (thank God), but as my friend has few relatives...well, nowadays, I've noticed that in some cases, friends are the new family, and this is one of them, so there I was, running with the other children (at least babies are sedentary, for now).  The end result was Sunday night I took a long hot bath and shut off the alarms.  Woke up at 9 today and my legs are still sore (my plan for a gym double is in doubt).  At least I was able to go through some emails and clear up some stuff from the links list.  My plan to cut the grass today has been pre-empted by the deluge outside, but I am not exactly unhappy about that.  

https://marker.medium.com/private-equity-is-buying-your-block-with-your-neighbors-money-8d37e98ebc2d

I don't know; both are problems -- private equity buying up homes and NIMBYism -- so wouldn't it be better to solve (or at least try to) both now?  I realize NIMMBYism is more of a liberal problem, but...  then again, so is this:

https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2021/07/12/the-morning-briefing-cubans-desire-for-freedom-confuses-american-commies-n1460847

In other news, the Tribe swept the royals (sort of) this weekend, which sums up the team... they can handle the little guys, but the real clubs (save for the White Sox so far) seem to cause them fits, which is not exactly a sign of progress, or success.  Mercado getting hits and driving in runs is a sign of success, as is Quantrill going six; not that we expect both of these to continue, but having a semi-useful OF and a starter who can pitch innings would be...nice.

Enlistment

 Behold the miracle!  The Tribe won a game... mind you, when they took the lead, I was like "don't worry, they'll blow it" and of course they did, albeit not totally...  funny, sort of; on the Athletic, they had an article about the streak, and discussed the last time the Tribe lost 9 in a row; I of course was at the game they described -- Chris Perez gave up a 3-run blast and they lost 5-4 to the Tigers... I was telling a couple of coworkers about this, and they noted that I recalled microscopic details about the game, yet I never remember any of their birthdays...  I didn't want to tell them that my friends tell me this is why I am single...

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/gay-group-well-convert-your-children-lgbt/

I am not sure how, but someone has to work this into the next GOP ad...

In other news, I was fascinated by the catchiness of "Butter" on the radio; it took me all of three minutes to find it on youtube, where I discovered it was by BTS...  this sent me down the vortex as I discovered a number of other songs (catchy but not necessarily those I like) are also theirs... this, being me, meant that I had to go and spend ten minutes reading about the band and each member.  I am certainy not in the Army (yes, I had heard of that!) but I was a mix of fascinated, disgusted, and educated by the whole process.

Double Suckitude

 Well, that was...impressive.  Third no-hitter of the year, not that it "counts."  This could be me, but...like it or not, that means you have to make some sort of change.  You may not like firing the hitting coach or bringing someone else in -- and I get that -- but at the end of the day, sometimes you have to make a change to make a change, and this is one of those times...  Funny thing is, the offense is fairly healthy; Luplow and Rosario are out, but Perez and Reyes are back.  Hedges was the catcher in the no-no today, which, of course, is a primary cause... I mean, I can see why they DFAed Rivera, but a catcher who could sort of hit...well, what could they possibly be thinking?

https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/interview-jason-furman-former-chair

Interesting, but 1) How the hell do you raise wages when you want more immigration (which, by definition, brings in more people to do low-wage jobs at lower wages); and 2) Do you really think the Fed is pushing for that much inflation?  I don't think they are; I sort of feel that are watching and waiting and hoping that prices and the economy stabilize more as the year goes on.  This way, they can just fine-tune as need be.  Guessing wrongly would be akin to choosing....poorly.

So I went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel for their Italian Festival today -- same food as the Feast of the Assumption, 95% fewer people... and it was a clusterfuck; I waited an hour for a pasta dinner.  They said they had a power outage an hour before serving, which may have been true, but 1) no one told that at the door, and 2) I would think the gas lines worked, and thus you could have boiled the water and heated the sauce (we have them at our parish and I suspect the place is of the same age/type as the Shrine)...also, they didn't seem to have any plan for to-go orders (save for the servers to fight for orders coming out), which again was odd, given the whole coming out of a pandemic thing when everyone has been ordering takeout.  The food was good and such, and I like to support urban ethnic parishes, but after this cluster I might just forget next year...

The graveyards of the past

 That Tribe game yesterday...well, all I can say is... good teams win those games, while bad teams (or at least non-playoff teams)... do not.  Oi.  Now, a double-header tomorrow...they could be under /500 by the ASG.  At least Plesac returns, and if his baby start goes well... well, it would provide some relief to the rotation, that is for sure.  That said, this season is...quickly down the shitter.  Alas.

So, everyone is shitting their pants over Afghanistan; well, maybe not Joe Biden, but... is it justified?  Well, yes, in a way; I mean, if things go poorly -- Taliban takes over, people get slaughtered, women get put back in burkhas (of course, no one is going to ask the Party of Women why they let this happen), this is a bad thing; not only for the USA, but in general.  Now, I think it is fair to say that if we weren't going to win the war, we should take the ball and go home, one way or the other... the problem is, as I like to say, that the alternatives, to quote my dad, are "worse and worser," and I think leaving is...worser.  I note the example of Germany in 1919 and 1945; the second time around, we decided that they could not be trusted with their own affairs, and if that meant keeping the Army there for an indeterminate period of time...expensive as it was, it was cheaper in the long run.  I do believe that that is the policy here; even a small and token force would remind everyone that we are still there...  In the meantime, I think the optics will be good for the GOP... to me, I would be running ads on the general...incompetence? For a guy around 60 years, this is something he should have seen coming...

I was thinking Sunday... I was listening to a bit to the oldies show on 88.9; not that I am a huge fan of the genre, I like Motown, and I always enjoy some of the songs from the 50s, when rock first started, and you had all these interesting things going on -- some of this was just hard country, some of this was Black music, and some of this was people doing something different, and even if it didn't last, it was new, and people liked it.  Anyways, few of the people who listened to it as teenagers are around, so in a few years it will be...well, not lost, but the fact of the matter is that no one will appreciate it for what it was.

But....that's not exactly new; is it?  Who listens to Big Band music anymore?  Tin Pan Alley?  Ragtime?  (The brief renaissance the genre experienced due to "The Sting" came and went, never mind the fact that the music was anachronistic for the 30s; two generations old, literally.)  That is the glory of pop music, in that it is fleeting, mostly, and something new comes along.  The sad part, of course, is that, in most cases, like an archaeological midden, what's past gone, appreciated by only a few who care enough to dig around.

Rest

 So...yesterday I joked that I was going to be as lazy as possible, and I was...after church and gym, I came home, watched the Tribe, finished a book, started a new one...  it was nice.  I went out to see some fireworks at a friend's -- let's just say they don't live in the burbs, and thus it was quite...interesting to see people launching them on their own.  Then, of course, I raced home to watch "1776" on TCM -- this is one time it is perfectly acceptable to watch a musical -- and I ended up channel surfing and watching the end of "Hoosiers" on FS1... always put me in the mood.  Late night meant I woke up late, which is fine... I have little to do today -- the usual paperwork and such -- but other than that rest.  I guess I deserve it -- pulling off Xmas took a lot from me -- but not quite.

The Tribe is most depressing; not that we expected anything else, but...still, the division race is over, the wild card is tenuous...funny; we were talking Thursday about the Tribe and the moves to make with the upcoming trade deadline...my friend Mike was of the opinion that the help coming off the DL -- Perez and Reyes are back, and the rest of the rotation to follow eventually -- would be enough. I don;t quite think so; hell, knowing Tribe ownership, they will probably try to sell some of their high-price (ha) guys for used baseballs or such.  Yes, getting two starters back would mean no more Hentges and such out there every five days, and would also help the bullpen a bit, but...I think they will need more than that.

https://stevesnotes.substack.com/p/note-18-why-435

Interesting...I've always thought we could do with more representatives; not that we need more or larger government (we don't), but it gets to the point where the districts aren't really representative, and vice versa...

https://www.foxnews.com/media/ilhan-omar-dont-regret-equating-us-israel-taliban-hamas-cnn

This could be me, but if it is perfectly acceptable to label every Trump voter as a racist, sexist, etc., for supporting the guy...can't we do to the same to them about this? Anti-Semitic, terrorism-supporting...to say nothing of the brother fucking...

Thoughts

 July already...the year is slipping by!  Anyways, went to the Tribe game last night -- my friend Mike had an extra tucket and graciously invited me along.  It was fun, aside from the loss... couple things we discussed.  One, the OF defense is pretty poor; Thursday's miscue was probably linked to the collision Sunday, but...this has been a theme all year. Two, what has Daniel Johnson done to piss off the front office?  I don't know, just doesn't look like Mercado has figured it out yet, and while I don;t think Johnson could be any better...I just don't think that he could be worse.  Three, much like the hitters, guys like Mejia and Quantrill were hurt by the lack of an AAA season, as they too could use development time.  Mejia has better stuff, but command is hit and miss; Quantrill is more polished but also more what-you-see-is-what-you-get. 

Thought about going tonight, but figured Hentges would get shelled, and...I was right.  Of course, now is not the time to complain -- any arm will do -- but it still sucks.

Proud of myself; hit the gym twice on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday...good to get the workouts in, and while I suspect I need to eat less crap to burn weight, it was good to get the muscle work in and to read the exercises bike a bit more (and to get more reading done).

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/28/desantis-trump-gop-election-496367

Interesting; I mean, I think DeSantis can use the gubernatorial race as a convenient fiction for a while, but he will eventually have to decide if he wants to kill the king...and, of course, you better not miss.

https://www.mischiefsoffaction.com/post/how-years-of-mandate-claiming-paved-the-way-for-the-crisis-of-democracy

One thing I have gotten a kick out of, both in 2016 and now, this idea that you have a mandate and that you need to do all this stuff before the other party takes over and stops you... yes, that part of it is true, but given the closeness of those elections...it makes the part about the mandate simply untenable.  But parties are trapped by the rhetoric, which in turn leads to both voter disillusionment AND a heightening of the rhetoric...both of which are equally untenable.