Weather Report: Is the Transition Beginning?
Goodness, what a week! I could delve into the last event of public madness, but it is getting tiresome. The mass shooting in Atlanta last week seems to have been the act of a young white man who had some sexual problems he decided to act out with gunfire against young Korean women- mostly- though others got in the way of his problems. The progressive cadre did not wait for details on the next horrific event, since it was convenient to the narrative. The supermarket shooting in deep-blue Boulder, CO, was loudly proclaimed as another in the great tyranny of white males armed with the weapons of war.
I won’t say “of course,” since we have been down this road before. Remember the “white Hispanic” George Zimmerman? He had the misfortune to live in Ferguson, MO. If the media had waited a couple minutes, they would have discovered this particular inheritor of White Privilege was a young man of Syrian origin, and after his name and social media history was made known, seemed to have more in common with the young Saudi men who recently flew airliners into public buildings. But we will undoubtedly see new action against at least a couple of the Amendments to the Bill of Rights, either by legislative or Executive Order.
Mr. Biden, currently President, announced he would do some commonsense things to preclude the threat to us all. I am a little unclear on what that is. I guess by that he means the White Male Threat- from being able to perpetrate harm to our diverse and vibrant culture.
Of course, I would think the opposite argument to be equally valid, and one we have had before. We have watched some of this as the historic wackiness unfolded. In our cadre of 70-year-old Americans of all sorts of colors, we listened to the vigorous discussion about voting rights in 1964. Dr. King commented on the matter, as did Senator Goldwater. As twelve year olds, we listened to the grown-ups discuss the matter, and in a fully transparent and constitutional fashion, enacted the Civil and Voting Rights legislation of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.
There were some problems with that, first articulated by our favorite Democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynahan. But given all that, this particular household in Virginia’s Piedmont has striven to follow those laws for more than a half century. Without complaint, as far as we know. It seemed to be the right thing to do.
But like the discussion about “reparations” to be paid by people like us, who had no part in the events that occurred centuries ago to other citizens who were not born when the injustice was abolished is a sort of curious thing. Like the masks.
Refuge Farm denizens wear the largely symbolic face-gear when we must, but mostly just stay sealed up in the safety of the farm. Even if vaccinated against the plague, we are expected to wear them to demonstrate solidarity with the Public Good. Otherwise, people who have not been poked with the still-experimental vaccines might dare to live as though they were normal.
I don’t mind, though I confess to a chuckle when I drive to town and see other motorists alone in their cars, fully clad, to demonstrate their opposition to the plague.
So, considering the social chaos spread so broadly, and the chasm between the points of view, I expect there will be no move to utilize the Constitutional process of altering the founding document. There could be an end to the Senate Filibuster, which takes us back to Senator Harry Reid’s use of the “Nuclear Option” to restrain debate on things he desired. Given the fickle nature of voters, his position resulted in Mr. trump’s ability to pack court vacancies with jurists who despised Mr. Reid.
Which brings us to where we now stand in the muddle. It is apparent that Mr. Biden is facing some health challenges after an election that had counting challenges. Some whisper that he had little to do with the (57, this morning, we think) Executive Orders he has signed. In fact, the tumult is rumored to intentional, and with the blizzard of EO’s intended to be in place when Vice President Harris takes over for him, and hence blameless for them.
The timing is interesting. Common sense used to suggest a two-year Biden term, which would enable Vice President Harris to serve two full four year terms in office and complete the transformation of America into something else. That common sense has been changing of late, notably after Mr. Biden’ adventure on the stairs to Air Force One, and the concern by Madam Pelosi about who actually has the nuclear release codes. There was talk yesterday that April Fool’s Day would be an appropriate time for transition.
We will see how the first Presidential Press Conference goes tomorrow. Like all the rest of this new America, if he escapes a major malfunction over the Border (Crisis? Challenge?) or a declaration of the overturn of part of the Bill of Rights by unilateral Presidential action, we could see some more social excitement shortly. It is history in the making.
Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com