The Cult of Trump--Part II

 I wrote a post in April about a book I was dipping into, called The Cult of Trump by Steven Hassan. I didn't finish it then but I plan to in the near future.

I think it is one of the best books out there explaining the Trump phenomenon. Another book that might be a rival would be How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.

Both books give great insight into Trump. What Winston Churchill once said about Russia (a paraphrase) can be said of the mystery of Trump: it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Thankfully there are some people who like riddles, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

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Lewis Powell Jr.

 I just read the well-known memo written by Lewis Powell in 1971, where he excoriated the business community for not fighting back harder against leftists and liberals who he saw as tearing at the fabric of business, free enterprise, and the entire American system.

I must say, though, Powell comes off as more open-minded than most conservatives nowadays. He is at least willing to have a liberal viewpoint in the public square, yet, he does appear dogmatic when it comes to certain bromides of big business.

I'm glad I read the letter. But I must say, I do find it hard to imagine the letter was the source of the groundswell of conservative energy in the 70s or early 80s. Nonetheless, the business community surely began to fight back and is now one of the most powerful lobbying groups in America.

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Fires in the West

 I just read an excellent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times. It was titled, "With global warming, expect inferno seasons in the American West," and it was dated September 12th, 2020.

It does a great job of presenting clearly and simply what is involved in climate change. Some lines that stands out:

--"More than 3.1 million acres have burned in California this year--some 3% of the state--with many wildfires still at zero containment and months of fire season left to go. This far exceeds the previous record set in 2018, when 1.7 million acres burned, including the town of Paradise."

--"The planet is currently 1.0 C to 1.2 C (about 2 F) hotter than it ought to be. This excess heat is entirely due to humans, mainly from burning fossil fuels and destroying forests. These activities release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which blocks some of the infrared heat photons that otherwise would radiate away into space."

I recommend the article.

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Robert Reich's The System

 I have been reading Dr. Robert Reich's latest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How to Fix It. It is an excellent book that looks at how the American middle class got to be shafted by the 1%. The logic and cogentness of the book is impeccable. 

I hope to write some articles based on material I've gotten from the book. 

Also, I have found out a lot of information that I did not know. For instance, Dr. Reich goes into detail talking about the individual, Sandy Weill, who played a major part in the ending of the Glass-Steagall Act, which put a partition between what banks traditionally have done (i.e., lending), and what they have come to do (i.e., be involved in risky investments).

Indeed, many parts of the book, to me, have been a revelation. 

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