1/6/23

 Friday, January 6, 2023

In bed at 9:20, awake at 4:20, up a few minutes lates, no toddy. 29 degrees, wind NW at 9, windchill at 21, sunrise at 7:23, sunset 4:31, 9 hours, 8 minutes.

2nd Anniversary of the Dress Rehearsal.  It seems somehow fitting that on the anniversary of the Insurrection at the Capitol the Republicans who enabled it (1) have won a narrow majority of seats in the next Congress, and (2) are  locked in deadly battle unable to agree on a candidate for Speaker of the House.  The spineless NTB Kevin McCarthy, having 'self-gelded' himself trying to win over the anarchist confederate wing of his party, is 18 votes short of winning the prize after 11 ballots, with more to commence at noon today, coinciding with the time Trump began his incendiary speech at the Ellipse 2 years ago.  The voting  on the 12th ballot will probably still be underway at 12:45, the anniversary of the time when the pipe bomb was discovered outside the Republican National Committee headquarters with another soon to be discovered outside the Democratic National Committee HQ.  That anniversary timing seems even more significant inasmuch as the intent of the mega-MAGA naysayers is to blow up the place, or as is more commonly said, to burn down the House.  By the time the session will reconvene, McCarthy and his supporters presumably will have negotiated overnight with the the recalcitrants trying to win over enough votes to get to the magic 218 needed to prevail.  On the other hand, I wonder who exactly is willing to negotiate with McCarthy, other that Chip Roy of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.  If the Matt Gaetz-Lauren Boebert types aren't even willing to talk with McCarthy's people, the process seems futile.  How many 'never-never McCarthy' types are there?  If more than 4, quo wadis, Kevin?  Is there a point at which the Democrats under Jeffries' leadership will negotiate with rational Republicans to elect a candidate other than McCarthy?  The huge question is who would want a 'leadership' job that ended so badly for John Boehner and Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich, not to mention Erik Cantor and Denny Hastert?

The "Never Never" Caucus: Andy Biggs, AZ' Bob Good, VA' Matt Gaetz, FL' Matt Rosendale, MT; Ralph Norman, SC.

Is it time to 'cash out'?  Our retirement funds took quite a hit in 2022.  The combination of stock market declines and bond market declines meant the only safe harbor was cash.  Unless something positive happens perhaps in connection with the new House Speaker, we will be facing another debt ceiling crisis in 2023.  Will this be a repeat scenario of 2011, with Democrats controlling the White House and the Senate and Republicans controlling the House?  Then, the country came within days of defaulting on its national debt, meriting a first time downgrade in it's credit rating by Standard & Poor's from AAA to AA+, causing of course losses in the securities markets.  The markets are already depressed from the pandemic, massive supply chain problems, big problems in China,  and other factors.  What will happen to our retirement accounts if there is another 2011 in 2023? Armageddon?

Orthodox Christmas Ceasefire is supposed to start today at noon, Ukraine time.  Ukraine, the U.S., and Germany are all dismissing Putin's initiative as a ploy to stop Ukrainian advances and regroup his own forces.  The initiative actually started with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a warhawk who calls to mind New York Cardinal Francis Spellman, our homegrown warhawk during our invasion of Vietnam, another so-called 'man of God' who endlessly fanned the flames of bellicosity.  I wrote of him in my memoir:

"Spellman was a second generation Irish American (what a surprise).   He was the archbishop of New York from 1939 till he died in 1967.  He was very close to Eugenio Pacelli when Pacelli was a Vatican diplomat and remained close during Pacelli’s papacy as Pius XII.  Pius created an Archdiocese of the Military Services (“the Military Ordinariate of the United States”) and named Spellman as the archbishop, or military vicar.  Thus all Catholics in the military had Francis Spellman as their bishop.  Spellman was a hawk, a Patton in Episcopal laces and brocades.  His hatred and fear of communism morphed into a hatred of those fighting for communist governments or even living under communism.  

In December 1966, Spellman was once again back in Vietnam where his public pronouncements were, if anything, a greater embarrassment than before. . . . In a lesson from the medieval Church, Spellman told the troops they were “holy crusaders” engaged in “Christ’s war against the Vietcong and the people of North Vietnam.”  At the military base at Danang, he told three thousand soldiers [sic: Marines and airmen] gathered in an amphitheater that “less than total victory is inconceivable!” . . .

Several days later, on Christmas Day, Spellman said mass at a simple wooden table that faced thousands of soldiers.  Security was tight, the eerie whir of helicopters filled the skies.  A reinforced battalion of infantry patrolled the surrounding jungle, tanks rumbled around the perimeter.  Instead of softening his tone because of the specialness of the occasion, Spellman declared the nobility of the American cause.  “This war in Vietnam,” he said, “is, I believe, a war for civilization!”  He went on and on, defending the presence of the troops, telling the youths their calling was “the defense, protection, and salvation not only of our country, but, I believe, of civilization itself!”"

Russia has its Patriarch Kirill, we had Cardinal Spellman and many successors.

Unexplained Weight Loss?   Over the last several months I have lost about 14 pounds without trying.  Jardiance?  Lilly over time has gone down from almost 70 p theounds to 59 and 1/2, feeling like skin and bones.  ??? 

Joe Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medals.  I was touched by Biden's very evident compassion and empathy with the awardees, especially the representatives of deceased awardees, including the suicides.  I was also struck by how old Biden appears, thinking of his professed intent to run for reelection.  He will be 2 years older at the start of his second term, 6 years older by its end.  Inconceivable. 

Kieslowski, Dekalog 9   Notes - Like the others, dark, night scenes, some scenes slightly out of focus, fuzzy.  Very subdued affect.  Doctor, wife, impotent.  Beautiful young patient, singer. H suspects W has lover.  Bugs phone.  Hides in closet at W's mother's apartment, the tryst site.  Watches.  Discovered.   W rejects lover for H but H thinks she continues to see him.  H tries suicide, unsuccessfully.  Reconciliation.  As usual, not sure what the point is, if there is a point.  Time to return the discs to the library.