0916

September 16, 2022

In bed at 10:30, up at 6:30, 4 pss,  2 &1/2 glasses of red.

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U. S. District Judge Aileen Cannon denied DOJ's motion to stay her earlier order respecting the classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago. The case caption seems so appropriate: Donald J. Trump v. United States of America, Trump against the country, Trump against the national government.  I confess to never having a serious doubt that Trump harbors a treasonous heart, that he feels no loyalty to anything or anyone other than himself, a true sociopath, psychopath.  The Trump-appointed federal judge refused even to accept the federal Department of Justice's representation that certain documents were "classified" and that delaying the investigation around those documents posed a risk to national security and 'irreparable harm', reflecting the deep antipathy and total distrust of the Republican Party, the Federalist Society, and Trump supporters of federal authority to investigate crime and protect national security.  As remarkable as Cannon's ruling is, one can't be assured that it will be overturned by the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, where 6 or the 11 judges were appointed by Trump.   "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."

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Jamelle Bouie in this morning's NYT:

The short story behind the now-averted railroad strike is this: The largest freight railroad carriers in the country were willing to cripple the transportation infrastructure of the United States rather than allow their workers to take the occasional day off to see a doctor or attend to their families. . . . . .Today, even with the surge of union activity in fast food and other service-related industries, private-sector unionization is still at its lowest point since the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. And yet, as we’ve seen, where unions are strong — or at least, where they have strength — they are still able to challenge the rapacious and exploitative behavior of business owners and employers.

I am reminded of a different labor dispute ('dispute' much too anodyne a word) and Pete Seeger's Which Side Are You On

Come all of you good workers

Good news to you I'll tell

Of how the good ol' union

Has come in here to dwell

Which side are you on?

Which side are you on?

My daddy was a miner

And I'm a miner's son

And I'll stick with the union

'Til every battle's won

They say in Harlan County

There are no neutrals there

You'll either be a union man

Or a thug for J. H. Blair

[Chorus]

Which side are you on?

Which side are you on?

Oh workers can you stand it?

Oh tell me how you can

Will you be a lousy scab

Or will you be a man?

Which side are you on?

Which side are you on?

Don't scab for the bosses

Don't listen to their lies

Us poor folks haven't got a chance

Unless we organize

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Geri is off to visit her friend Elise.  My hero, my Matthew 25:31 saint.

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Saw part of the pomp and circumstance in Westminster Hall while catching up on the news, the traditional Vigil of the Princes.  The queen's children - Charles, Anne, Edward, and Andrew - standing vigil around the queen's remains, all wearing what appear to be naval officers' uniforms, including Princess Anne in bicorne, white trousers, and jackboots.  The sleeves of Prince Charles' tunic sported the rank insignia of the highest admiral of the Royal Navy.  The disgraced Prince Andrew, like the others, sports a row of what appear to be military/naval medals and other insignia of Orders of Chivalry, as if he and his siblings actually served and endured the rigors of qualifying for and fulfilling the duties of military/naval service.  Andrew apparently did serve in the nasty Falklands War with Argentina, another example of Britain's imperialism and militarism.  Pass the basin, please.  It can't help but remind us that the great wealth and privileges of the royal family, and of other 'peers,' was obtained by force, by violence, out of the muzzles of rifles, artillery, and naval guns.  Not 'rule, Britannia, but Cruel, Britannia. ( The downgraded Prince Harry, who did serve two tours of duty in Afghanistan, we recall was not permitted to wear his uniform.)

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Ellis' 8th birthday is today, Katherine and Jordan's anniversary (1995).  I stayed home from pizza at David and Sharon's.  Down to one car, with Lexus laid up at Andrew Toyota until at least Tuesday.  With one car, I would be antsy to be getting home while Geri having a great time.  Stayed home instead.