1/8/25

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

D+64

1877 Crazy Horse and his Sioux warriors fought their last battle with the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain (Montana Territory).

1904 Pope Pius X banned low-cut dresses in the presence of churchmen

1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson declared "War on Poverty"

1973 Judge Sirica began the trial of the Watergate burglars in Washington, D.C.

1978 Harvey Milk became the 1st openly gay person elected to public office in California

1992 George H. W. Bush vomited on the Japanese prime minister's lap

2011 Attempted assassination of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a Safeway grocery store killed 6 and wounded 13, including Giffords

2021 Twitter banned President Donald Trump permanently "due to the risk of further incitement of violence

2021 Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded President Donald Trump's resignation and called for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol

2023 Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Brazilian government buildings including the High Court and Presidential Palace, with over 1500 later arrested 

2024 Pope Francis says surrogate motherhood should be banned calling it "despicable" for commercializing pregnancy

In bed at 9:15, awake at 3:40 from a dream of being the junior member of the U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision conference, understanding nothing of the case being considered, up at 4:00.   13° outside, wind chill is 5°, high of 21° today. 

Prednisone, day 239, 5.0 & 2.5 mg., day 54.  Prednisone 5 mg. at 5 a.m.   My iPhone has given me its monthly warning: "Your walking steadiness continues to be very low and you may be at high risk of falling in the next 12 months." Yesterday I was supposed to start splitting my prednisone from 7.5 mg. each morning to 5.0 in the morning and 2.5 in the evening but, no surprise, I forgot.  I've set my iPhone alarm for 5 p.m. to remind me.  Took the 2.5 mg. at 4:50.

Vietnam: "partner".  I listened to a discussion about Donald Trump and foreign policy by Patrick Healy, David French, Lydia Polgreen, and Bret Stephens in this morning's NYTimes.  In it, conservative columnist Stephens referred to Vietnam as one of America's "new partners" in Asia alongside old partners like Japan and Australia.  The unification of the two halves of Vietnam separated by the Geneva Accords in 1954 and the domination of the unified country by the North's communist government was seen as a threat to world peace, i.e., capitalism, in the 1950s and 1960s.  Hence the American invasion in 1965 and occupation until 1973.  Now Vietnam is our "partner."  We buy many products made in Vietnam by SAMSUNG, NIKE, INTEL, ADIDAS, LG, THE NORTH FACE, FOXCONN, MERRELL FOOTWEAR, and EVERLANE plus other apparel and textiles, toys, bags and accessories, and sporting goods.  Vietnam’s exports have grown from just US$19.9 billion in 2002 to a whopping US$384.22 billion in 2022.

    The laptop computer I am typing this probably contains parts made in Vietnam. Taiwanese Apple supplier Wistron announced in June that it is set to invest US$24.5 million in a new factory in Vietnam’s Ha Nam province. This will raise the firm’s total investment in Ha Nam since 2020 to US$363.9 million. The firm will make docking stations, LCD displays, and webcams, among other items.

    Total in-theater U.S. deaths - 58,220.including 18,844 Marines.

    Total in-theater U.S. wounded - 153,303 including 51,392 Marines

    Total in-theater U.S. served - 2,594,000 including 391,000 Marines

    Total number of Vietnamese killed, wounded, or otherwise devastated - inestimable millions.

"We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." Lyndon B. Johnson

"If we quit Vietnam, tomorrow we'll be fighting in Hawaii, and next week we'll have to fight in San Francisco. — Lyndon B. Johnson

"We do this [escalating U.S. military involvement in Vietnam] to slow down aggression. We do this to increase the confidence of the brave people of South Vietnam who have bravely borne this brutal battle for so many years with so many casualties. And we do this to convince the leaders of North Vietnam--and all who seek to share their conquest--of a simple fact: We will not be defeated. We will not grow tired. We will not withdraw either openly or under the cloak of a meaningless agreement." Lyndon B. Johnson, in a speech explaining his decision to send U.S. combat troops to Vietnam, April 7, 1965

Sweet Sour Cabbage Borscht. I started the broth this afternoon and simmered it from 4:30 to 8:30. I'll let it cool overnight and add the cabbage, beef shank meat, and seasoning tomorrow. It's a mighty expensive soup because of the cost of beef shanks, of which I used only 3 pounds rather than the 4 pounds called for in the recipe.

Some anniversary thoughts.  It seems to me that people of conscience and reason realized that Crazy Horse and his Sioux were screwed by the White Man, by the United States government and by White people.  Winston Churchill and William F. Buckley would disagree.  Dogs have no right to the manger and all that.

Second, what do you suppose Pius X was worried about?  Perhaps he wasn't as pious as his name suggested? 

Third, LBJ's War on Poverty: how could a guy be so well-intentioned and good-hearted respecting the poor people in his own country and so misguided and callous about the poor people in Vietnam?  His war on the Vietnamese would derail his war on poverty.  Everybody lost in both wars.

Fourth,  ah, Judge John Sirica and Watergate.  Would that he were around today, but with our Congress and our Supreme Court,  would the Watergate trial have occurred?  Would Nixon's tapes be ordered to be turned over to the prosecutor or the Watergate Committee?  Has Nixon been proved right that  "When the president does it, that means it's not illegal?"

Fifth, Harvey Milk was killed by Dan White in 1978.  I've written in this journal about my experience at Union Square in San Francisco on the day Dan White was released from prison.

Sixth, Bush barfed on the Japanese PM's lap at a state dinner.  I couldn't help it: I laughed then.  I laugh now.  Silly, childish. A bit of schadenfreude?

Seventh, Gabby Gifford is still recovering 14 years later, bravely.

Eighth.  In 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump.  Now Elon Musk owns Twitter and Trump is welcome to return though he has opted to stay on his own "Truth Social" where he makes some money.

Ninth. Nancy Pelosi.  I don't agree with her on everything, but she is still a hero to me.  "With you, all roads lead to Putin."

Tenth, Bolsonaro and Trump.  Fascist see, fascist do.

Eleventh.  The pope and surrogacy.  That Church and celibate churchmen can't get past their hang-ups on pelvic issues.