I've been busy this week and may have missed some news items, but it's clear that Trump's desperate measures to deny reality have only become more and more bizarre. Why should we - citizens of the United States, of any... Continue reading

Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. I'm a veteran, and I put my U.S. flag out this morning, as I do for other key national holidays, e.g. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Flag Day of course, and others.... Continue reading

Yes, it really is dark here around the nation's capital as the remains of Hurricane Eta work their way north, bringing us as much as 2 inches of rain today. But there's another darkness. A President who has referred to military service as being for "losers" and "suckers" is expected to preside over Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, if he dares appear (or if he doesn't cancel due to rain). If he does show up, I can't help thinking what a great welcome military vets on hand could give him to perk up his blood and get him... Continue reading

As noted here before, the fellow waiting in the wings to try out the job of ex-President greeted the election outcome with outrageous and incendiary falsehoods. Since that time a few days ago, I've heard people who know Trump well,... Continue reading

President Trump, early this morning, decided to ignore all the tiny steps his minions had taken, and planned to take, to suppress votes against him, by the simple step of effectively declaring himself the winner. Claiming falsely to have won... Continue reading

Today the Lizard feels greatly relieved. As a poor reptile skittering from rock to rock to find a sunny spot for basking on this chilly day, and wondering where his next juicy insect is coming from, I don't really need other things to have to think about. My lizard brain would be overtaxed. Fortunately, the outcome of yesterday's election is not one of my concerns! The President (TAPWNDSHN)* has informed us that he's already won, thus relieving us of a lot of worry, saving us from wasting time and effort on needless vote-counting. What a guy! It's so great to... Continue reading

As a followup to my post of October 27, below, it's worth reading a piece from the Washington Post this Sunday titled "The Supreme Court Shouldn't Decide Voting Cases". It seems the Court has already left the barn through a... Continue reading

Back on October 7, Morning Fog opined that the main burden of finding common ground among the U.S.'s two bitterly divided political factions will rest with the Democratic Party. Not because I necessarily expect them to win the election two... Continue reading

It seems commonplace now (and true) to suggest that we are a divided nation because we all live in, and retreat to, our own social bubbles, seeking out opinions that conform with our own, and demonizing those that don't. We... Continue reading

Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed as our newest Supreme Court Justice. No surprise there! Personally I harbor some expectation that she will deal Trump some surprises. Let us hope. Meanwhile... The Washington Post ran an editorial yesterday morning suggesting... Continue reading

A return to moderation in politics requires a signal defeat for Trump at the polls. But it also means that Trump enablers in the Senate and House - and that means every one of them, such stellar examples as Graham... Continue reading

Today we reinaugurate The Tin Lizard, an "anything" blog, a sibling of Morning Fog. There are many election-related topics to address but right now, but The Lizard's attention turns to the political use of language. These days nearly any term can become fraught with politically partisan meaning. Terms like "lock him up" and "treason" are cavalierly bandied about, and personal insults against one's political opponents are commonplace. I'd like to address a less emotionally-charged misuse, i.e., how our two major political parties address each other. Formally, we have the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. For Republicans, it has become... Continue reading

Morning Fog had the chance to see parts of each of the two "town hall" meetings last night - one with Trump on NBC, moderated by Savannah Guthrie; one with Biden on ABC, moderated by George Stephanopoulos. It appeared that... Continue reading

I can't muster much enthusiasm for arguing about the nomination and near-certain confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. The candidate herself does not appear to be exceptionally distinguished, and he experience is... Continue reading

The first televised debate between Trump and Biden arose suddenly on my horizon. Once I realized it was coming, the first thing that popped into my head was that I needed to watch it. The second thing was, "I hope... Continue reading

Trump's support has remained steady almost no matter what he does. So if he were reelected, we can't look to the Party of Trump (PoT)* to do us much good in breaking down the tribal barriers that now pervade our... Continue reading

In my youth (that is, up until about four years ago), I thought that elections in this country were largely decided by the basic common-sense and decency of American voters. From farmers to fine artists or physiotherapists, from geezers to... Continue reading

President Trump has announced that he and the missus have tested positive for coronavirus. In our supercharged political atmosphere, we may expect a lot of "I-told-you-so's" - and those would be much deserved. Beyond that lie dark speculations about whether... Continue reading

In the header above, you'll see that Morning Fog has the subtitle "A Moderate View on Current Affairs." That's always been there, and it's the reason I stopped blogging almost two years ago. It appeared that moderation had died. This... Continue reading

One of my occasional interlocutors forwarded me something the other day about the Honduran "caravan" making its way toward the U.S., claiming that it seemed clearly "orchestrated." I must say, I agree! This manifestation has a lot of the earmarks... Continue reading

"... every sensible, fair-minded person was surely thinking ... [that] the hearings that brought both Kavanaugh and Ford to tears were driven by a partisan quest for power without regard for the human collateral damage." That's a quote from a... Continue reading