9/2/2025

  Tuesday, September 2, 2025

D+301/226/-1236

1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent from France (National Day)

1945 V-J Day, formal surrender of Japan signed aboard the USS Missouri,  the end of World War II

1983 Yitzḥak Shamir (Likud party) was endorsed by Menachem Begin for Israeli Prime Minister

In bed at 9:10, up at 5:20.  56°, high of 74°, sunny all day.  Hand and finger pains, pain in big toe on my left foot - gout returning?

Meds, etc.  Morning meds at 9:15 a.m.  

Trump's War on History.  On the way out to Waukesha for the work on the Volvo, I listed to WUWM's On Point, with Meghna Chakrabarti interviewing Yale historian David Blight on DJT's war on history.  On March 27th, President Trump signed an executive order that targets two recipients of federal funds: The Smithsonian Institution, a vast collection of research centers, museums and galleries, including the Air & Space Museum and the American Art Museum; and the monuments and memorials overseen by the Department of the Interior.  

The order is called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" and the White House says the goal is "revitalizing key cultural institutions and reversing the spread of divisive ideology."  It says that the Smithsonian promotes "narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive" and directs Vice President JD Vance — who is on the Smithsonian's board — to eliminate "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from the museums, and to work with Congress to keep from funding exhibits or programs that "divide Americans by race."  

The executive order also directs the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Parks and other public lands, to restore markers, statues and other memorials that have been "improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events. 

This is but one part of Trump's and his fascist supporters' project of mind control, right out of Orwell's 1984. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”  ‘War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength.’  Notably, 1984 is set in England when it has become a ONE PARTY STATE in which thinking the wrong thoughts can be a crime.  The protagonist is Winston Smith, who works for the Ministry of Truth where old historical records are altered, to remove any embarrassing facts that don’t fit with the party line.  Are we on the way???

A video that gave me the willies over the weekend was of Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi laughing, shaking hands, and schmoozing with Xi Jinping in Beijing.  Thirty years of American diplomatic efforts to tighten the relationship with India as a counter to China - down the drain with Trump's 50% punitive tariffs on India, the world's 4th largest economy.  25% as punishment for buying Russian oil, while he continues to decline harsher penalties on Russia itself.  A deadly combination: his fixation on tariffs and his love affair with Putin.  America loses, Russia and China win.

More willies.  From Tom Friedman's column this morning: 

[W]e believe the biggest geopolitical and geoeconomic question goiong forward is: Can the United States and China maintain competition on A.I. while collaborating on a shared level of trust that guarantees it always remains aligned with human flourishing and planetary stability? And, just as crucially, can they extend a system of values to countries willing to play by those same rules — and restrict access to those that won’t?

I wouldn't bet on it.  "I'm sorry,  Dave.  I'm afraid I can't do that."

I'm already behind the times.  I started using free AI about a week ago, mainly Elon Musk's Grok and Chat got.  This morning I went into Google's Gemini and asked 'what is entropy.' The response was truly amazing.  Google gives us sources where we can find the answers to our questions; Gemini gives us the answers.  I can see that I am getting hooked on AI already, simply as a source of answers to the relatively simple questions an 84 year old, retired lawyers can ask.  The tools potential is every bit as scary as Tom Friedman states in his op-ed.

Volvo maintenance today, replacement of coil springs, wheel alignment, and replacement of rearview camera stailizing fixture.  I arrived at Field's Volvo in Waukesha at 9:45 for my 10 a.m. appointment.  I was told that the work will probably take until 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  I could rent a loaner, go home, and come back, or have someone drive me home and pick me up, but home-to-Field's is about an hour and a half round trip, so I opt to stay and wait.  After more than an hour of waiting with a few more to go, I am reminded of taking Andy to Children's Hospital at 17th and Wisconsin Avenue 45 years ago or so, and waiting patiently in the waiting room.

Asphalt placement today, 6 days after the job began, Labor Day weekend intervening.  Big job, expensive job, about $20,000.  Watching the workers do the job with their huge heavy construction equipment makes it easy to understand why the project is so expensive.  There are about 12 workers, all wearing yellow and orange construction vests that make them look like worker bees when half a dozen or so are gathered and working around the freshly laid asphalt, sweeping, moving, shoveling, whatever.  Quite a sight. . . .  Arriving home after the trip to Waukesha, I am very pleased with how the driveways look.  I was disappointed however to learn that we have to wait to drive on them.  

O, fortunati!  I was thankful for how fortunate I was this morning.  Traffic was tied up for miles on northbound I-43, while I sailed smoothly on southbound 43 and westbound 94.  The estimate for the time required for the repair work on the Volvo was until 2 or 3 p.m.  In fact, the job was done by 12:30.  The tie up on I-43 northbound was over when I traversed it going home.  O frabjous day.