 |
| 7:30 |
 |
| 8:42 |
It's 9:00, and we have been serenaded over the past hour by duck hunters blasting away somewhere on the lake. It was 49º when I woke, warm compared to yesterday's 38º. I paddled for close to an hour, my usual route, and spotted a heron on a Woodlawn dock, just as I started my paddle, and later, lots of geese and mallards.
 |
| Kayak Morning |
 |
| Great Blue Hanging On A Woodlawn Dock |
Yesterday was a good day as we got in some exercise and lots of free time to do what we wanted. I had a good night's sleep and paddled for close to an hour on a sunny, blue-sky morning, quite a contrast to today. After coffee, the blog, and breakfast, Evie and I decided chili sounded good for dinner, so we got busy in the kitchen. Evie did most of the cooking, and I gathered the ingredients, opened the cans, rinsed the beans, stuff like that, and eventually cleaned up the kitchen once the chili was simmering on the stove. We both knew we wanted to get in a walk, so we decided to drive over to the end of Lakeside Drive and walk the woods of Long Point. It was a good choice, cool but sunny, with leaf-strewn paths and the changing colors of the leaves still left on the trees. As usual, we were the only ones walking in the park, and we were out for just about an hour.
 |
| Long Point Trail |
 |
| The Women In Blue |
 |
| Still Mostly Green |
We were home at 12:30, and it was time for lunch. I finished off the black bean soup and enjoyed a ham and cheese sandwich while watching my show. Evie was happy to be home, with an afternoon full of leisure, with no worries about dinner. I am into my book, so I was happy to read off and on during the afternoon and take a short nap. Around 3:45, I wanted to get some exercise, so I fired up our old Honda gas lawnmower and cut the front yard, mulching the leaves. It took me half an hour, and the yard, as always, looks great after mowing
By 5:00, yep, we were sitting listening to the ridiculous Trump interview, gulping down our wine in laughter or fury. I'm not sure which. His lies, his exaggerations, boasting, and complete nonsense are scary. This guy is the most powerful person in the world. Lord help us. Maybe we should stop listening to the news. Dinner was easy and great, chili with fixings and a salad, and we were happy to get back to our series and forget about the news. We watched three episodes of All Saints, and then I watched Spooks when Evie went up to bed and followed her at 10:00.
Trump has brought peace to Israel and Gaza. Even Obama is hailing it. I know you don’t like him, but credit is due. He’s not all bad. And how ironic that the alleged “fascist dictator” is running around the world negotiating peace deals. He’s achieved what Democrats like Clinton, Obama, and Biden tried and failed to do. Why? Precisely because he is unorthodox. And his odd style and unique way of approaching the world can indeed be confounding, but it also brings serious benefits. Do I agree with everything he does? No. Not by a long shot. But he has achieved historic accomplishments in the pursuit of world peace, taking out the Iranian nuclear program and bringing peace to the Middle East, and for that he deserves every American’s respect and gratitude. A balanced view, I know; odd in this age where we all tend to hate, hate, hate the other side.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment but even if I accept some of your points of view, in my opinion, you are overlooking many of the reasons why I cannot see Trump as a man of peace.
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump’s presidency is marked by chaos, aggression, and disregard for democratic norms. Masked ICE agents grab people off the streets as the National Guard is deployed in major cities, projecting an image of control rather than compassion. Trump often bypasses Congress entirely, making sweeping decisions that require approval but were imposed by decree. His reckless use of tariffs rattle the global economy, driving up prices for American consumers. He withheld federal funding from Democratic-led cities to punish political opponents and routinely blurs the line between public service and personal gain — with his family profiting from foreign and domestic interests, including hotel deals and taxpayer-funded stays at Trump properties. Immigrants vanish into detention centers with little oversight, while Trump bullies critics and rivals alike, branding them with cruel, mocking nicknames.
His leadership style reveals a man more driven by dominance and ego than by principle or the public good. Just a few reasons why I could never consider him a man of peace.
Thank you for the reply. I agree on some of these; on others, I suspect we just have a different perspective. One place I agree is, I don’t like what he’s doing with tariffs. But you say you object that Trump is doing too much by decree and not enough with Congress. I agree; yet at the same time, this is the precedent Obama set with his “pen and phone” approach to governing; when Obama said he was going to DACA unilaterally after saying for years it was up to Congress—suddenly it became “if Congress won’t act, I will. In 2020, Harris said she was going to rescind the Second Amendment with an executive order. During his presidency, Biden decided he could unilaterally extend a moratorium on evictions without Congress; mandate vaccines without Congress; forgive student loans without Congress (after years of acknowledging he couldn’t). Then, when the Supreme Court said no, he promised to defy it. My point in saying all this is that the left has laid the groundwork for what Trump is doing. I don’t recall the outcry from the left when Obama/Biden acted imperially. I submit that if we are to have a system with properly restrained executive power, the left needs to object when it’s their side ruling by decree, not just when the other side does.
ReplyDeleteThis conversation could go on indefinitely, so I’ll conclude here.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Obama was never charged with or found to have broken any laws, though some of his executive actions were controversial.
Biden did threaten to defy Supreme Court rulings but ultimately did not.
Trump certainly deserves credit for the fragile peace achieved during his tenure, and you’re right that no one else has managed that.
That said, my list of grievances regarding Trump is very long and his success in the Middle East doesn’t negate my concern for our country and our democracy.
I respect your perspective, but as it seems to be the case across much of the country, it appears neither of us will be swayed.
Thank you, Tom. I respect your perspective, too. And I think you're right that we could go on indefinitely with neither persuading the other! Take care.
ReplyDelete