Casting the First Stone

Monday, February 1, 2021  

A column in the New York Times said, "Mr. Trump has now left Washington.  And, yet, Republicans remain scared of his shadow."  This implies a political threat, a Republican incumbent challenged from his right with the support of the ex-president.  

This was true last year, now it is more primal.  Many thousands of Trump supporters have resorted to insurrectionary violence in response to the election results.  They not only cursed Nancy Pelosi, but they put Mike Pence on their hit list and that's my point.  These "patriots" appear ready, willing and able to cause serious physical harm to politicians of almost any stripe.  CNN reports that due to "heightened concern about lawmaker safety, officials with the Republican congressional campaign arms [emphasis added] have asked federal election regulators whether lawmakers can use campaign funds to pay for bodyguards."

The ugly forces provoked and unleashed by Trump now operate in an ecosystem of delirium and hysteria beyond his or anyone's control.

. . .

My first job as a lawyer was a staff position at the New York State courthouse at 71 Thomas Street, a quiet backwater, removed from the hurly burly of legal activity around Foley Square, less than half a mile away.  I initially worked for and learned a lot from Justice Marjory Fields, beginning in 2002. 

Every lunchtime brought a little problem, though.  Our desks were together in a large office behind the courtroom and Justice Fields almost always ate lunch in.  If I remained for the hour, we inevitably struck up a stimulating conversation, usually about the law and justice, two things often at odds.  In many regards, this was valuable to the development of my legal career, but what about the crossword puzzle?  I realized quickly that my peace of mind required some distraction from the woes recited throughout the day in the courtroom where we dealt with divorce and the tormenting ancillary issues of child custody and finances.

The courthouse was located in Tribeca, becoming more exclusive and more expensive day-by-day.  While I was committed to going out to lunch, actual destinations were a problem.  There were more and more fine restaurants around, but few comfortable joints, by which I mean a place to sit down, warm in winter, cool in summer, reasonable prices and a sufficiently relaxed atmosphere so that I might finish the daily crossword puzzle without hassle.  And, in spite of the example of "Cheers," I wanted to have some change of scenery.

Which brings me to tuna fish.  Once every two or three weeks, I had lunch at the Subway sandwich shop at 153 Chambers Street, west of West Broadway, which, of course, places it west of Broadway and very far west of East Broadway.  A table was almost always available, even if I had to glower at some of the lingering Stuyvesant High School kids from down the block.  The HVAC was reliable and the food was cheap, near wretched but cheap. 

From the outset, I only ordered a tuna hero, sometimes 6", sometimes 12" by generous measure.  Unlike some of the other fillings, the tuna fish resembled something edible.  However, there is now word of a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California alleging that there is no tuna fish in Subway's tuna fish.   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/subway-tuna-sandwiches-wraps-lawsuit/

The court hears cases in Oakland and some nearby cities.  This makes it the proper venue for this matter, because, when Gertrude Stein said that "there is no there there," she was referring to Oakland, her girlhood home.  Although it may be ten years since I last had a Subway tuna fish sandwich, I really want to know if there is any there there.

. . .

Almost speaking of San Francisco, when I read of the absurd conduct of its Board of Education, I thought of a song by the heavy metal rock band Black Sabbath.  The board voted 6-1 to remove what it considered as offensive the names from 44 public schools, 1/3 the total it operates, including Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Paul Revere and Dianne Feinstein, still serving as California's senior senator.  Of the schools bearing the names of U.S. presidents, 9 of 10 were cleansed.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/Washington-and-Lincoln-are-out-S-F-school-board-15900963.php

Black Sabbath performed the song "Illusion of Power."

- What is it that turns you on to the illusion of power,
- This thing that grabs you by the heart and makes you want to tear things down. 

The illusion of power is obviously much more accessible than real power.  Fail to improve reading scores?  Banish Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Struggling with a $75 million budget deficit?  Scrap John Muir.

Why the changes?  Here is the supporting detail.    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16cre1vbJzE44JWmto_Ll7J06q9ZblQoBC-Eas3Qwf2c/edit#gid=0

There are truly villains on the list, but more often there are human beings who resorted to villainy at times, just like the rest of us.  In these days, when elected politicians claim that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a "false flag" operation, I might as well assert that the San Francisco Board of Education is in the employ of Rupert Murdoch. 

. . .

I cringed when I read this headline.  "White people traveled to a hard hit Latino neighborhood in New York and took many of the Covid-19 vaccine appointments."  https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/us/new-york-vaccine-disparities/index.html

I received my first vaccination shot last week at the Harlem Action Health Center, 158 East 115th Street.  Although it was not the facility featured in the article, it was in the midst of what was once commonly referred to as Spanish Harlem.  Indeed, neighborhood stores, except those run by national or regional chains, generally bore Spanish names -- El Nuevo Caridad, Taco Mix, Quesadillas Doña Maty, El Barrios Taxi Service, Las Delicias Mexicanas -- all within one block of the Health Center.  I was certainly un pez fuera del agua, which I ignored until I read the article above.

Most of the staff that I encountered at the Health Center were Hispanic, likely Puerto Rican or Dominican.  However, I can't conjure up an overall profile of the other patients.  Only in the 15 minute rest period after getting the shot were we in a group, about 8 or 10 people with comings and goings.  I spent my time then in typical contemporary fashion, looking at my phone.  So, I am unable to identify the complexion of those who were around me, literally or figuratively.  

I don't know if my experience corresponded to the article.  I was perfectly aware of the character of the neighborhood when I made the appointment without stopping to think about the socio-political implications.  Should I have stopped to think about the socio-political implications?  Should I have continued seeking an appointment at a more ethnically appropriate venue?

In any case, after the blog appeared Saturday morning, two local friends close to my age and level of privilege wrote to tell me that they are still searching for a vaccination appointment.  Additionally, I can quickly name a half dozen elderly friends in nearby states who remain unvaccinated without even initial appointments.  Of course, none of the above teaches a bicycle exercise class. 
https://nyti.ms/3pJ8e0e

. . .

Thanks to the intrepid reporting of Andy Borowitz, we can keep up with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.  "QAnon Fears That Greene’s Obsession with Jewish Space Lasers Is Distracting Her from Battling Baby-Eating Cannibals."

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Last week, I introduced you to Grandpa Alan's Supposition, the likelihood that there will be only one winning ticket for a very large lottery jackpot.  This week, I learned something new, Dunbar's Number, "a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships."  

Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist, has been kind enough to give us the answer -- 150.  This is very valuable when planning your daughter's Bat Mitzvah, knowing the outside limit of how many people you might have to pay for.  

That number should also instill some humility in social media addicts who claim swollen numbers of "friends" or "followers."  Get real.  It's not stable, it's not social and it ain't a relationship.

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

It seems to be an unending mantra.  A prominent male figure (else how would we know) describes his sexually aggressive behavior (to say the least) as "consensual."  The latest is former manager of the New York Mets Mickey Callaway.  https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/02/02/mickey-callaway-angels-suspend-misconduct-accounts-investigated

We have heard this from the former CEO of McDonald's (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50283720), the former CEO of Intel (https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/06/21/intel-ceo-brian-krzanich-resigns-employee-relationship/), the former head of CBS network (https://www.newsweek.com/les-moonves-cbs-employee-oral-sex-investigation-what-happened-1245269), the former Governor of Missouri (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/missouri-governor-greitens-affair-house-report_n_5ace87aae4b0648767768ffa), among others.  Several common elements unite these stories:

1. The conduct continued over a period of time.
2. It was no secret.
3. The men were married.
4. Their wives weren't Jewish.

In a survey that I conducted among my fellow Hebrews, it was widely agreed that if 4. were not true, 3. would have ceased to be true. 

. . .

I escorted my young bride to Montefiore Medical Center this afternoon for her second Covid-19 vaccination shot.  Now, she is not only America's Favorite Epidemiologist, but one of its safest.

Friday, February 5, 2021

It was no delusion.  We can rest easy now that U.S. Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene has reassured us that "9/11 absolutely happened."   

. . . 

 

I'll tell you what absolutely did not happen -- Republican officials (including John Bolton and Nikki Haley), who signed the full-page open letter in today's paper calling for the Biden administration "to restore bipartisanship in U.S. foreign policy and to build a coalition with international allies and partners" regarding Iran, did not explain how come we need to restore bipartisanship and rebuild international coalitions now.  Most egregiously, they fail to admit their role in destroying bipartisanship and international coalitions in recent years.  They weren't merely silent partners of the Authoritarian-in-Chief; they actively advocated for the abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, which actively, if imperfectly, curbed Iran's nuclear program.  

Now, having freed Iran from its treaty obligations, they "respectfully urge President Biden" to restore maturity where their Lord and Master eliminated it.  Sit down and shut up.