Why we don’t want Putin to invade Ukraine.

   We remember that Hitler started WWII by invading Poland in 1939.  We figure that if we forbid the invasion of neighboring countries, we can prevent WWIII.  And we don’t like invasions on humanitarian grounds; the people in the invaded country take it in the neck.  Ask any Pole, they will tell you. 

Ever since WWII America has believed that national borders should be inviolate.  We have even fought wars over this, the Korean War being the clearest example.  North Korea invaded South Korea with out warning.  We raised a huge army, fought a vicious 3 year war, and preserved the original state of South Korea.  As a side effect, today’s South Koreans have a warm spot in their hearts for Americans.  They have industrialized and are now an important power.  They were nowheresville back when the Korean War started.

One other factor in the Ukraine situation.  Today’s Russia is smaller; less populated, and has fewer natural resources than the old Soviet Union had it its disposal.  We would just as soon keep things that way.  The old Soviet Union was a dangerous competitor.  When the Soviet Union broke up in 1989, about a third of it became independent of Russia.  The new Russia, although a powerful state, is not as powerful as the old Soviet Union was.   

Cannon Mountain Ski Weather

 Just for the record, I am in Mittersill.  I am close enough to walk to the Peabody slopes chair lift.  I get the same amount of snow as Cannon, at least Cannon base.  Cannon summit often gets a bit more that the base.  I measure the snow fall on my deck with a wooden yardstick.  I am an old Cannon skier, I started skiing Cannon when I was four.  I finally gave up downhill skiing when I turned 70, which was a few years ago.

   It is 9:30 AM and the snow seems to have stopped, although the weather people are talking up a "winter storm warning" lasting until 11 AM.  They forecast 4 to 8 inches.  I got 5 inches.  That is enough to make the skiing really good at Cannon.  

How dangerous is the omicron variant of Corona virus??

How dangerous is the omicron version of the Corona virus? Really?  Guys like Tony Fauci are claiming it is worse than the original.  Some TV news states that NO ONE has died of omicron (yet).  Other TV newsies have said the omicron is very contagious but the symptoms are milder and less likely to kill than the original version of Corona virus.   No one has presented any numbers, so anything might be true.  It would be nice to have one of the few responsible news outlets left to give us some facts. 

Putin and Ukraine.

 

According to today’s Wall St Journal the Western Europeans told Russian dictator Putin that serious economic sanctions would follow an invasion of Ukraine.   You would think that would carry some weight with Putin, but who knows?  Putin may not believe the Europeans mean it; he may believe that Russia’s economy is so local and so self sufficient that European and American economic sanctions won’t hurt. 

   Driving Putin toward invading Ukraine is history; Ukraine has been a central and famous part of Russia since medieval times.  Putin undoubtedly wants to own Ukraine for its historic significance to Russia.  He may want to invade while he still has an army to do it with.  Russia’s birth rate is in a death spiral, and Russia may not be able to recruit a decent army by 2040 for lack of young men to draft

Merry Christmas.

 

Merry Christmas is almost dead.  Clerks and cashiers and bag boys are saying “Happy  Holidays” or “have a nice day”.  No “Merry Christmas”.

Improve the criminal justice system.

 

The American criminal justice system is run by lawyers, largely for lawyers.  Lawyers love to drag things out; it gives them more billable hours.  For instant the Boston Marathon bomber was sentenced to death five years ago.  He is still alive, in jail, with lawyers arguing the rightness of his sentence.  He will probably die in prison of old age.  The lawyers have collected five years worth of billable hours.

Reforms we ought to make:

1.       Prosecutors should only be allowed to charge a criminal with ONE offense for each arrest.  Right now the lawyers charge the criminal with half a dozen crimes, some more serious, some less serious.  Then they say “plead guilty to this lesser offense.  If you insist on going to trial we will prosecute you for this really terrible offense that has a mandatory 20 year minimum sentence.”  This is plea bargaining and most American criminal cases are settled by a plea bargain.  It’s cheaper than a trial.  It’s not very fair. 

2.       We ought to go over our criminal statutes.  There has got to be a whole bunch of offenses from the old days that nobody cares about in the 21^st century.  Remove them.  Decriminalize possession of pot.  I see no reason to jail people for mere possession.  Rewrite what is left using plain Standard English, no Latin, and no lawyer gobble de gook.

3.       Forbid no knock raids.  Bust down someone’s door at o’dark thirty, and they will shoot, every time.  A no-knock raid is just provoking a gun fight in which some one gets killed.  Not good law enforcement.

4.       Justice delayed is justice denied.  I think one year is plenty of time for lawyers to run off a trial, yielding a sentence or an acquittal.  If the lawyers cannot get the lead out, the defendant should be acquitted after one year from his arrest.  

Lame Duck

 As soon as Biden announces that he is not running in 2024, he becomes a lame duck.  Many (most?) politicians figure that a fellow pol who won't be around in power very long doesn't need my political support.  Such a pol is called a lame duck and looses much of his ability to influence people and events.  So Biden won't say he won't run in 2024 until the very last minute, convention time in 2024.  Biden's statements that he will run in 2024 might be real but probably aren't.  

I assume the heavy duty democrats are feeling around quietly for someone to run in 2024.  Kamala Harris does not look good.  Biden doesn't look good.  Pelosi and Schumer are too old, not not very presidential.  I cannot think of a democrat state governor who is any good.  Who is left??

For the Republicans, Trump is there.  If his health holds up and he wants the nomination it is probably his for the asking.  If he decides not to run, we have Ted Cruz, Desantos. and Marko Rubio and probably more.