Robin Hood and the King

Reverse Robin Hood
According to legend, Robin Hood robbed the wealthy and distributed booty to the poor. Robin Hood in reverse (RHR) works differently. This method is favored by kleptocrats and oligarchs and seeks to enhance the holdings of the wealthiest at the expense of the most impoverished. Let’s talk about the tax bill now approaching the Senate. Read to the end where I unveil its poison pill.

Like the tax bill of 2017, this one also holds out the promise that money will trickle down to those who can use it more. And also like that bill, it puts more money in the hands of those who don’t really need it.

The big difference this time around is that the national debt has ballooned since 2017. This time lawmakers are looking at offsets. They’re considering cuts in programs for people who need them to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.

For years Republicans have complained about taxes while the government spent. Somebody needs to pay to run the government but magical thinkers believe that tax cuts pay for themselves by invoking some vague and implausible principal. It never happens.

Meanwhile the government continues to borrow as the cost of doing so is becoming unwieldy. Moody’s recently downgraded the country’s credit worthiness. This hurts our nations’s reputation and increases our borrowing costs.

During Eisenhower’s days the highest marginal tax rate was 91 percent. It’s much less now. If the wealthy could tolerate high taxes back then, why can’t they help lower the deficit now? Our current lawmakers will never willingly ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.

The King
The tax bill contains a clause which reads: “No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued.”

This is intended to prevent federal courts from from imposing consequences for contempt of court on top government officials. It would give Donald Trump king-like immunity for violating the Constitution. Though perhaps it's unreasonable to suggest that a twice impeached convicted felon would ever think about violating the Constitution.

If you don’t like how things are going contact your Congress person and Senator.

Two quick reads

Merge and Disciple: Two Short Novels (From Crosstown to Oblivion) Kindle Edition
Walter Mosley
Fiction 243 pages
Tor Books, 2012

Like Jumpnauts, these two short novels are concerned with what might occur if humans encountered an awarness greater than their own. In all three works the consequences are planet changing but the stories themselves are very different.

Walter Mosley is best known for his crime and detective fiction. His heroes, Easy Rawlins, King Oliver, and others walk the thin edge that separates morality from immorality. Mosley heroes are driven by moral considerations and behavior, and that’s just as true for the protagonists in Merge and Disciple. These two works, are science fiction in the best sense, but they also waft a bit of eau de detective noir. Mosley’s characters passage between mundane and enhanced consciousness is tempered with violence, pain and uncertainty. Fair warning: graphic sexual scenes may be disturbing to those more used to traditional vanilla science fiction.

Mosley writes in contemporary style, but  with sufficient lyricality to lift his prose above the commonplace. In his book, This Year You Write Your Novel, he stresses that those wanting to write prose fiction should first become familiar with poetry. “Of all writing, the discipline in poetry is the most demanding. You have to learn how to distill what you mean into the most economic and at the same time the most elegant and accurate language.” Mosley has the skills to use words with economy, fitness and purpose.

From Merge: “You killed me,” I said with no emotion, vibration, or intention. “That’s like a table complaining about being dusted,” she said, “a sheet worrying about being hung out to dry.”

From Disciple: Nothing is as it seems, friend Hogarth. Nothing in the world that human beings believe in is really what exists. There was no primal atom, no Big Bang. There is no space as such. Life is not unique. There is no Not God.

Uniformity, inequity and exclusivity

Get the button

On a recent weekend, Elon Musk’s henchmen made an "unprecedented and breathtakingly broad incursion into, and accessing of, closely held U.S. government systems and data involving millions of Americans." Donald Trump is kicking doors down fast and it seems no one cares or does much about it. 

I've shared my views with Congressmen and Senators on a good few occasions. But recently  when a friend asked me to contact my representatives I was reluctant to do so. These days I feel like no one is listening, or if they're listening, they're failing to act.  I asked why should I bother to contact my representatives when they won't listen? In the end, I made the calls. An intern for one of my representatives assured me that she was listening. But I fear other people's representatives are not. They like what the administration does and so do their constituents.

Trump ignores rules and foregoes established procedures and lawmakers don't challenge him. He attempts to revoke birthright citizenship, is brutal with immigrants, and claims that merit should substitute for diversity, equity and inclusion. In his world, merit is something white men have and sometimes loan to white women. In his world, non-white candidates only get hired when standards are purposely lowered, never because of merit.

Trump has banned all reference to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in government agencies and ended DEI initiatives.  Several sources have suggested that DEI training may not always achieve its ends. In 2016, the Harvard Business Review reported that some DEI efforts have actually worsened workplace equality. Those who voluntarily engage in diversity training shift their views, while those who feel forced into training may harden their views against it. Engaging workers to promote diversity works well, while coercing them to do so worsens workplace equity.

So does that mean we should do away with DEI entirely? I don't think so. One can't change a person who doesn't want to change, but other people seek out self-improvement, and a best means of self-improvement is learning and challenging one's biases. The current effort to do away with DEI really promotes a hidden message. That message is that a certain group of people — white men — has traditionally held the most power in the USA and should continue to do so —  especially if it keeps others from enjoying the same comforts and privileges.

This message ignores that American values represent those of a conglomerate of peoples and cultures. An America that becomes uniform, inequitable and exclusive is not an America in which most Americans will thrive. It's not the America I want. Do you?

Visitations

Jumpnauts: A Novel (Folding Universe)
S&S/Saga Press  2024
Fiction 367 pages
Hao Jingfang
Ken Liu (Translator)

In the not too distant future two factions engage in unending combat over which will control the world. One protagonist is the son of a wealthy business family. Another has devoted his career to the military. Like today, factions struggle to increase their wealth and power.

An archeologist’s daughter holds the key to meeting the aliens who’ve visited our planet every 700 years for the past several thousand. Others become interested, including the two enemy protagonists, and a ship is launched to rendezvous with the aliens.

This setup could begin an average science fiction story, but Jumpnauts is more than an average story. First, the character development is excellent. The characters have rich histories and conflicts to confront and resolve.

Second, the story references classic Chinese philosophy and ancient mythology comes alive as the story unfolds.

Third, it takes a new approach. Telepathy has long figured in science fiction, but in this case, it pays homage, if only in passing, to information theory.

The Paranormal Ranger: A chilling memoir of investigations into the paranormal in Navajoland
William Morrow 2024
Fiction 282 pages
Stanley Milford, Jr.

Telepathy is not addressed in The Paranormal Ranger, but other strange phenomena are. These include, UFOs, hauntings, sasquatch, witchcraft and skinwalkers. Navajoland covers more than 27 thousand square miles and overlaps three states. It’s a harsh, sparely populated land – the sort of land where one might find paranormal happenings, if one were to find them at all. Stanley Milford, Jr. worked decades as a ranger on this land. During this time he and his partner became leading investigators of odd and troubling phenomena. Sometimes their investigations uncovered mundane explanations, but other investigations led only to the inexplicable. This is an easily consumed memoir from a man dedicated to resolving conflicts and unburdening worried citizens.

Like Jumpnauts this book also discusses the possibility that Earth may have been visited by interstellar travelers in its past. While the science fiction novel is lite on details, the memoir provides details of alien visitations through Navajo origin stories and ancient rock depictions of star people. It also provide a glimpse into Navajo culture and its traditional tales.

Stolen lyrics

The Beatles 1968 hit, "Revolution," peaked at 12 on the Billboard Top 100. Until recently, few knew that they actually plagiarized the tune and changed the lyrics of a song originally performed by a Mersey dockside band aboard a German submarine converted into a coffee house by the drummer's mother.

When the song was finally released in 1969, the Beatles sued the band into oblivion and all known copies of the 45 were destroyed.

This is that song:

Reservation

by John Lemon and Paul McCaroni

You say you have a reservation
Well, you know
We all like a pricey meal

You tell me that it's discrimination
Well, you know
You should have worn a power tie

But when you talk about instruction
Don't imply that I don't know my job
Don't you know you're gonna wait so long

So long
So long

You say I'm stiffer than old Mr. Brann
Well, you know
Chef might strike you with a frying pan

You threaten me with retribution
Well, you know
You should tip me with more money, man

But if you offer money so you don't have to wait
All I can tell you is dinner is going to be late
Don't you know you're gonna wait so long

So long
So long

You say waiting gives you constipation
Well, you know
We all want to get you fed
You tell me that the bar's way too loud
Well, you know

It's better
drinking in a crowd
But if go asking for carry out menus now
You deserve to eat fast food anyhow
Don't you know you're gonna wait so long

So long
So long
So long, so long
So long, so long
So long, so long
  

Weird

I have rarely, if ever, been more moved by a movie then I was by "Weird, the Al Yankovic Story." Daniel Radcliffe, an actor formerly featured in a string of low budget movies about a boarding school for deviants called Pigpimples, or something, stars in his greatest, and career defining, role as American rock superstar, Weird Al Yankovic. The story traces Yankovic's strange and troubled youth to his rise as America's most celebrated musician.

In one early scene, Yankovic is invited to a party hosted by world famous disc jockey, Dr. Demento. The party is crashed by wannabe famous DJ, Wolfman Jack. Bassist, John Deacon, begs Yankovic to write a parody of one of Queen's songs, "Another One Rides the Bus." Andy Warhol, however remarks to fellow artist, Salvador Dali, that Yankovic's fame will last about fifteen minutes. Also in attendance at Demento's party are offbeat musicians, Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper.

Perhaps you wonder why I waited until two years after its release before reviewing this dramatic gem. As a member of the downtrodden proletarian class. I eschew movie theaters. Instead, I waited until the movie was available through Kanopy, a streaming service provided through a socialist institution called a public library.

Be advised however, that this is a serious drama rather than a mere parody of a rise-to-fame rock movie, or a decline-to-obscurity rock movie such as, "This is Spinal Tap." I give "Weird" a rarely awarded eleven.

Enough. Stop.

In its war with Hamas, Israel has killed thousands of Gaza residents, many of those noncombatants. Today more thousands in Lebanon and Syria were injured when Hezbollah pagers simultaneously exploded. This latest aggression is pure atrocity. Israel has the right to defend itself, certainly, but not like this. Innocent children are among the few known so far to have died.

If a UN resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the United States should vote in its favor. It should also stop supplying Israel with weapons. Every time innocents die in Gaza, Israel claims it was targeting Hamas. That excuse is no longer believable. Hezbollah used pagers because Israel was too good at hacking their phones. This along with the technical prowess  required to explode pagers on command make me wonder why Israel can't target Hamas without killing innocents as well. Does Israel really care about which Palestinians they kill? It should because the world is watching and thinking that its violent excess must stop.

In Biblical times the Jews made a covenant with God to uphold His laws. One of those laws is, "Thou shalt not kill." Israel no longer keeps its ancient covenant. I am appalled that a people would break its promise to God. Perhaps Israel will come to its senses. Perhaps it can still seek peace. I will pray.

Nine clouds and an illusion

The Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong)
Penguin Classics 2019
Fiction 288 pages
Kim Man-jung
Heinz Insu Fenkl (Editor, Introduction, Translator)

Serious spoiler alert. The cheapest writer’s trick ever is telling a tale and then revealing it to was all a dream. Yet the author gets away with it by using reincarnation to obscure his intention.  Toward the end of the novel he introduces the sage who dreamt he was a butterfly and wakes wondering if he is now a butterfly dreaming it is a sage. One questions what is real and what is illusion. The story is fantastical. A master sends a young monk to Hell and then the reborn monk sets off as a poor scholar. Along the way he finds good luck and meets women he promises to reunite with. Eventually he becomes an adopted prince and takes those nine women as wives and concubines. Then in his mature years he becomes disillusioned and seeks an ancient master for instruction. He must now confront the realization that what appears real is actually illusion.

As the hero woos women with poetry and engages in fantastic feats of warfare and diplomacy the reader eagerly comes along. This rags to riches story entices readers until their “suspension of disbelief” hits the inevitable surprise promised by the title.  This drives home the point that we are all victims of the illusions we experience.

Kim Man-jung’s story, Kuunmong, takes place in Chinese and is written in Chinese. Author, Kim Man-jung himself resided in Korea and was active in the royal court. Some scholars believe the Kuunmong was published in 1789, though other scholars question that date.

Collateral damage

The 1968 Democratic convention is remembered for the violence that Chicago’s police unleashed upon Vietnam War protesters. In statements before this year’s Democratic convention, Chicago officials have forsworn a violent response to war protest, but not overruled arrests if protesters break laws. Nobody wants a repeat of 1968, yet sizable protests are expected.

Protest issues at the Republican convention included, the war in Gaza, immigration, reproductive rights, and a perceived racist agenda. Protests at the Democratic convention will largely target the Gaza war. Some feel that the current administration has done too little to confront Israel’s aggressive tactics in Gaza and elsewhere. This obscures the truth. Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have confronted Israel verbally — its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has deflected those criticisms. What can one do when an ally refuses to listen? Continue supplying it arms?

Sadly, the administration’s options are hampered by decades of US support for Israel. Since many Democrats and most Republicans support Israel, strong criticism of that country would be political suicide for a leader who does so.

When people are secure in their beliefs, those beliefs can be rubbish and still go unchallenged. International bodies have condemned Israel for allowing settlement in occupied territory, but the United States says little about the matter. Knowing it has a strong ally, Israel ignores such international criticisms and permits settler lawlessness. This is bad enough but Israel now uses tactics that many countries are calling genocidal. Many here believe in Israel’s “right to defend itself” and ignore the reality that Israel’s actions go well beyond self-defense and decency. The belligerent statements by some Israeli leaders demonstrate an unwillingness to pursue peace.

Israel has long said that its Palestinian enemies use citizens as “human shields” and there may be some truth in that. However, this doesn’t grant Israel license to attack schools, hospitals, aid convoys and refugee camps. For Israel, finding Hamas militants is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Hamas is the needle and innocent civilians are the haystack. Israel destroys haystacks to find needles. Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated intent is to eliminate Hamas. Perhaps he could do so, but he can’t erase memories. As long as Palestinians remain so, too, will remain those who seek vengeance. Groups like Hamas will form again and the violence will continue. Hamas, or its ideas, can’t be destroyed without either genocide or the utter subjugation of Palestinian citizens. Neither is a viable solution.

Israel’s current behavior cannot continue if the Middle East is to remain relatively peaceful. As long as Israel has a powerful ally willing to bring aircraft carriers into its region to discourage escalation, Israel has little incentive for peace. Pro-Palestinian protests at the Democratic convention may focus unearned blame on Democrats. This could help Republicans win in November and continue enabling Israel’s bad behavior. Regardless of which party wins, unless our leaders forcefully demand peace by withholding arms and assistance, our country may drawn into a vicious Middle East war.