An Interesting Parallel

Having just read the column by Michael Gerson of The Washington Post ("Trump exposes the hypocrisy of Christian Republicans," May 28, 2018), I found an interesting story that reminds me of something Hermann Goring of Nazi fame once said.

Here's what Gerson said, "In the Oval Office, according to new reporting from The Post, President Trump boasted in February 2017 about how easy it is to appeal to audiences with an anti-immigrant message: 'Acting as if he were at a rally, he recited a few made-up Hispanic names and described potential crimes they could have committed, such as rape and murder. Then, he said, the crowds would roar when the criminals were thrown out of the country.' In the Post account, '[Stephen] Miller and [Jared] Kushner laughed."

And here's what Goring said, "...the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

Something that hasn't been said much explicitly is that we have Donald Trump as our president because he is an astounding salesperson. In the great American tradition of salesmanship, he sold us something we really didn't want to buy.

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Trivia

I have been reading again from the book, Who Knew? Things You Didn't Know About Things You Know Well, by David Hoffman. It's a short, easy-to-read book full of trivia. I perused it again because I was looking for a way to converse with my two children on the way to their school in the morning.

It helped, some.

Possibly the material is geared more for teenagers and adults. Here is a sample:

--"The computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey was called HAL as a tongue-in-cheek reference to IBM. The name was derived from the fact that the letters H-A-L precede the letters I-B-M in the alphabet."

--"The stabbing sound the knife makes in the shower scene in Psycho is in fact the sound of a knife stabbing a melon."

--"A recording of a camel's moan was slowed down and used as the sound of the tornado in Twister."

--"There are approximately 1,750 O's in every can of SpaghettiOs."

It's kind of a fun book to read. (Also, my children really liked the the entry on SpaghettiOs.)

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State Budget

Louisiana appears to be in dire straits related to the upcoming state budget. Over a 600 million dollar shortfall can do that.

To me, though, the puzzling part is that the only two areas that can be cut are health care, and I believe, higher education. Why so?

There may be good reasons for that edict. But in Louisiana, "good reasons" are rarely the answer.

I guess I've found an interesting project to delve into.

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Words, and More Words

More interesting words I am learning (and relearning):

--Snollygoster n. (SNOL-ee-gos-tuhr) A crafty, lying person.

--Copper-bottomed adj. (kop-uhr-BOT-uhmd) Reliable; genuine; simon-pure.

--Hymeneal adj. (hy-muh-NEE-uhl) Relating to a wedding or marriage.

--Gobemouche n. (GOB-moosh) A gullible or credulous person.

--Black Dog n. Depression.

--Fabian adj. (FAY-bee-uhn) Avoiding direct confrontation; cautious; delaying.

--Highbinder n. (HY-byn-duhr) A swindler or corrupt politician.

--Jackleg (JAK-leg) adj. Unskilled; unprincipled. N. An unskilled or untrustworthy person.

--Stridulant adj. (STRIJ-uh-luhnt) Shrill-sounding.

--Monophobia n. (mon-uh-FOH-bee-uh) A fear of being alone.

--Sillage n. (see-AHZH) The scent that lingers from behind a perfume.

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Blaise Pascal and the Donald

I do find it amazing (and amusing) the number of scrapes President Trump gets himself in. He seems constitutionally incapable of just being.

Maybe, like more and more people nowadays, he thrives on adrenaline, and without that potent stimulant, feels as though life is a sad, and oh-so-long melodrama.

Indeed, many people seem unable to sit still in a room by themselves, solely with their thoughts and feelings (Pascal talked about the consequences).

I struggle with this too.

Our culture doesn't hold that act in high esteem. It surely won't in the future.

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