Obsidian Wings

Different Skill Sets

by wj

(We're way overdue for a new Open Thread. So here it is.)

Earlier this week, I saw a number of articles commemorating the 75 wedding anniversary of Jimmy and Roseland Carter. Which put me in mind of what Carter's legacy will likely be. He was, to my mind, an average President. (Or, if you are not a fan, a mediocre one -- not great but not horrible.) But he is, without real question, the greatest ex-president of my lifetime. Not even close.

Which also recalls the other great ex-President: Herbert Hoover. Also not a particularly good President, but the greatest ex-President from at least the middle of the 19th century until Carter. (Maybe longer; I'm not enough of a historian to judge further back.) If you doubt that, look up, for example, the Hoover Commission. And consider that other efforts to reorganize government at the state level (for example in California) have gotten labeled "Little Hoover Commissions."

What it comes down to is, being President, and doing the job well, requires one set of skills. But doing something worthwhile after being President requires a rather different set of skills. There's some overlap (e.g. ability to organize groups of people), but a lot more difference. And also, being an effective President is, to some extent, dependent of what kind of Congress one is blessed/cursed with.

As noted, open thread.

4th of july

by russell

Marty's post in another thread made me ask myself what it is, exactly, that we celebrate on the 4th of July.  that put me in mind of this often quoted poem by Langston Hughes.

It's long-ish, but this excerpt perhaps captures the spirit of it:

O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.

But read the whole thing.

America is an aspiration.  It's unlikely we will ever achieve it in full, but here is hoping the idea is sufficiently compelling that we always keep trying to get there.

It's my grand-niece's birthday, at 12 she's the oldest of her generation.  We'll have cake and ice cream and some crazy kid stuff going on.  It's gonna be great.

Hope everyone enjoys the day.  Don't blow yourself up, and call an Uber if you have a beer or two too many.

The land that never has been yet - and yet must be - is still waiting to be born.

strange days getting stranger...

by russell

it's been a weird week here in Lake Wobegon...

last weekend, one of our local white supremos drove a stolen struck into a building, then walked around and shot the first two random black people he encountered.  cops suspect he might have intended to drive the truck into a Jewish temple in the neighborhood.  the cops confronted him, he would not surrender the weapon, the cops shot and killed him.  the guy left a trail of racist crap behind him - racist rants, Nazi crap.

28 years old, PhD, married, employed as a physical therapist.  not the typical 'loner loser in mom's basement' profile.

woke up this morning to find that a nearby interstate highway was closed. apparently a state cop came across some folks on the side of the road at about 1:30 AM, found 10 guys armed and dressed in full military drag trying to refuel one of their cars.  "can I see some id".  "no".  call for backup, grabbed two of the guys, the rest ran off into the woods and holed up for a few hours.  cops issued a shelter in place warning for a few hours, but did eventually talk them down and take them into custody.

they are apparently members of the "Moorish Arms", a group that considers themselves not bound by US law due to an 1787 treaty between the US and Morocco.  kind of like the Bundys, only darker and maybe even crazier.  they were on their way from Rhode Island to Maine for a 'training exercise'.  wonder who's up in Maine waiting for them. 

this is all some [email protected] sh*t, if I may say so.  I'm not sure quite what to make of it all.

git yer joy on...

by russell

if you have not already met him one way or another, allow me to introduce you to Gurdeep Pandher.

who is Gurdeep?  he is a Punjabi Sikh who currently lives in the Yukon.  not sure how he got there, but life is interesting and full of surprises.

what does Gurdeep do?  he dances banghra style, but has been known to dance in other styles as well.

why does he do it?  for joy, hope, and positivity.

I want to be like Gurdeep.

everybody get happy for a minute.