Basic Knowledge

I'm just responding to a question that is puzzling people: can Robert Kennedy III (or whatever) handle the Department of Health (or whatever)?  

Why would anyone refuse to accept vaccinations as a helpful prophylactic (disease preventative), and give credence to stories about the dangers of vaccine—for instance—and advocate not using them?  The eradication (disappearing) of Polio, and Malaria, and Smallpox, and the careful control of childhood diseases (Chickenpox, Whooping Cough, Measles, etc.) are evidence of the success of vaccinations, but the suspicions persist. 

Autism.  Belief that the Moon Landing was staged.  The Earth is flat, etc, etc.  Some things are obviously taken at face value, e.g. smart phones. 

One componentof this deep-rooted suspicion is, I believe, the belief—or the desireto believe, or the desire to show support for those who believe—that the Government is not to be trusted.  This is clearly expected and reasonable for those in opposition to the present government; the rejection of vaccination is theatre, as the Republicans have so often accused the Democrats of.

But after  decades of theatre, old Bob probably can't distinguish between his beliefs, and the rôle that he's playing.  He needs to know the basics of microbiology, and public health, and pharmacology, just in order to understand how the FDA works.

There's a famous quote that there are none so blind as those who will not see, so that it is far easier to convince ordinary people who don't believe in the efficacy of vaccinations, than it is to explain to someone like Robert Kennedy, whose disbelief was initially pretended for demogogical reasons.

Reagan: Not So Great

The Republicans love to idolize Reagan; to be honest, there weren't any Republican Presidents in the recent past who were apparently more successful than Reagan.

When Reagan debated Jimmy Carter, and Carter raised an important issue, Reagan shot back with the famous line: "There you go again ..."  It was a killer line, and it seemed come from nowhere.   But did it?

The Republicans had, the previous night, stolen Carter's playbook, in which there were all the points Carter had planned for the debate.  Reagan rehearsed his responses to each argument, and he had that gag ready.  The Republicans never shied away from dirty tricks, and they still don't!  This story is recounted by Andy Borowitz in his book 'Profiles in Ignorance'.  With diligence, conservatives have elevated Ignorance to the status of an admirable trait.  When the guys from Comedy Central interview MAGA folks at a rally, they are often ignorant of key issues that Democrats know well.  For instance that the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare are the same.  We have to wonder how these people voted, in their Ignorance. 

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American Statesman: Jimmy Carter

Republicans often put forward Ronald Reagan as the modern Republican ideal for a World Leader.  But Andy Borowitz, in his book Profiles in Ignorance, shows how Reagan appealed to conservatives through ignoring some facts, twisting the implication of other facts, and misunderstanding the rest. It may not be quite fair to measure just how qualified Reagan was to be president—he was an actor, by trade, but he had been elected Governor of California—but compared with many others, he relied more on prejudice than knowledge and reason to make his decisions.  Luckily for him, his prejudices lined up pretty well with those of many Americans.

In contrast, both Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama were incisive thinkers.  Both of them must be considered statesmen.

Stay Ready

In two years, the Democrats—or whatever party is the successor to the Democrats—will have to organize again.  This time as an ãct of mercy. 

The antics of the Republicans will be too disruptive for even the handout- hating MAGA folks.  We have to be ready. 

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Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Craftsman Style

I'm sure many of you have encountered at least one of these descriptions of style, of both architecture, and interior decoration.  Some of the earlier skyscrapers in New York, for instance, fall into one of these styles.  But just today I saw a description of these styles that stunned me by his much sense they made!