See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Despite briefing papers, Trump claims he did not see that Russians were placing a bounty on American troops.   Perhaps the only bounty he has seen are the rolls he threw to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico.   Bolton correctly alerts that Putin plays Trump like a fiddle.  But must he be so out of tune.

Trump retweeted a man in a golf cart shouting, "White Power."  He claims he did not hear it.  Maybe golf carts are for him cute and cuddly, like cats are for others.   More likely, with dismal poll numbers, he has decided that dog whistles are not enough, he needs a bull horn, lest anyone doubt his racist bona fides.

Trump cannot complete the famous phrase.  He speaks evil with outlandish consistency.  President Obama committed treason.  Joe Biden is corrupt.  His former cabinet members are wacky, crazy, traitors.

Enough is enough.  November third cannot come too soon.

Summer Time Blues

For those trailing in the polls, June gloom is tempered because school's out for summer.  Historically, summer polls are slippery.  Vacation and recreation are the focus, not the babbling brook of political rhetoric.

But this blue wave may be different.  The rising tide may lift Biden and senatorial candidates.  This year strips of material are masks, not bikinis.  Hunkered down we have the time for current events.  With the triple threat of pandemic, recession, and calls for racial justice, we have the focus.

So the flashing blue polls may light the November skies.

Press the Press

Trump defied the odds.  He didn't just draw to an inside straight.   He drew to an inside straight flush, missing two cards.  The last card off the bottom of the deck was Comey reopening the Clinton email investigation, but the first was dealt by the main stream media.

Mixing metaphors, they turned the Hillary email nothing burger into a 4x4 with extra onions.  Voters were presented a false choice of the lesser of two evils.  Only one candidate was a narcissistic racist.  Adding to the negligence of the press, was a ratings based race to cover Trump rallies en toto.  Never has a candidate received such a heaping helping of free media.

So, free press, having nearly destroyed the country you owe us one.  You are not artists, so paint by the numbers, do not go free form.  If Biden has an adverse medical record or exam, report it.  But do not create a "losing a step," narrative.  Biden gaffed at 35, and has gaffes now.  As a stutterer he often has to switch words mid-sentence to compensate.  That exacerbates his gaffes.

Dare not create a moral equivalency between the occasional misstatement by Biden, and the frequent misdeeds by Trump.

The Ballad of Bunker Boy

He knew they were coming for him,
  because they were black and brown.
So he cowered and shivered,
   hiding deep underground

He called out the army, the guard,
  and our own air force.
They smote citizens with gas, flash/bangs,
   and men on horse.

He emerged and gathered to him
   everyone white,
But he needed something more,
  for the evangelical  right

He remembered a book from
  trials, and the like.
The bible held high he crossed,
  and looked for a mic.

No mic was present,
  unless Pence counted.
So he posed for pictures,
  as the police dismounted.



No rights reserved.  Please feel free to sing, and join the chorus.

Yin and Yang III

The theme of man made glory vs. natural beauty continues with beaches.  Singaporean beaches are, indeed, man made with sand imported from Cambodia and Myanmar.  The beaches are primarily intended for locals, with such attractions as a Universal Studios theme park.  Living less than 10 miles from the original Universal Studios, we passed.

In lore, Bali beaches have an exotic lure.  The reality is more mundane.  The beaches are nice, but probably not on a par with those of Thailand, nor as inexpensive as those in Cambodia.  For us, it was a 2 night pace stop: No sightseeing, just being.

When Horace Greeley said, "Go west young man," he could have been talking about Kuta.  Kuta on the western shore is party central.  For those looking to drink and hookup. either through their charm, or with their wallet, Kuta is the place.  A street of night clubs, as well as the fledging Bali sex trade, are domiciled there.  Other, less extreme scenes are available in the West, but we went East to Sanur.  The strip of land is narrow, so Sanur is only 8 miles from Kuta.

We chose Tandjung Sari, one of the first boutique hotels in tropical Asia, dating back 50 years.  Our beachfront bungalow had living space on the first floor and a ocean view sitting area on the second floor.  We had a private garden and both indoor and outdoor showers.

We woke to breakfast with a view.

Every evening ended with entertainment.

Our short stay was the perfect antidote to the prior week of sightseeing.

Turkey On A Rope

Blue Mosque

Our Turkey trip is a prime example of the Traveler On a Rope philosophy.  The traveler on a rope expects value, but with a budget, and expectations, that go beyond a shoe string.

The impetus for the trip was a Gate1 heavily discounted offer including airfare and 4 nights in a 4 star Istanbul hotel, upgradeable to a 5 star property.  As with most such offers, multiple dates were available.  Usually you can pick a start date, and then a later return date, based on other tours.  We elected a February 27 start date, but with a March 19 return.  This placed us squarely in off season, but with a good likelihood of reasonable weather.

The traveler on a rope always travels in shoulder or off season.  Ephesus with 100 people spread along the grounds evokes the glory of the Roman Empire.  With 5,000 people, it simulates the hell of Los Angeles rush hour.

Although crowd avoidance is the primary lure of off season, substantial savings is a close second.  Hotels are less expensive, and even the best reviewed, have availability.  When we were shopping for a rug is Selcuk, the owner let us know that the rug we fancied would have the fancy price of 2500 Turkish Lira in summer (just under 500 dollars), before offering the winter price of 1200.  In summer further bargaining would have been hard, with multiple tourists seeking his attention.  In an empty store I negotiated down to 600 lira.

The package, was independent travel only including the hotel and airfare.  One half day walking tour was included free, with others offered for a fee.  We slept in and ignored the free tour, and all others.

The traveler on a rope sets priorities.  Moving at your own pace is one of them.  More to come, but with the current crisis, I wanted to reach back and post from a time of mobility.

For those interested in books in the traveler on a rope series, please check out your favorite source for online books.  The most recent is 4 AMERICANS IN CUBA, A TRAVELER ON A ROPE GUIDEBOOK.  The SOUTHEAST ASIA ON A ROPE  series includes a guide to Thailand and Laos, a book on Cambodia and Myanmar, as well as a shorter book on Bangkok and Chiang Mai.  All are under my name, Larry Stein.

Central Casting

Trump has taken to calling himself a wartime president.  The only wars he has waged are on science and his own government.  In crisis his inadequacies are magnified by the weakness of his cast.  It is like a commercial break at the Oscars, when stand-ins (or rather sit-ins), take the seats of attendees.  But in this administration, when the lights come back on, the substitutes are still in place.

Obama prepared the Trump administration for a respiratory pandemic eerily similar to COVID-19. The exercise paired 30 top Trump appointees, with their Obama counterparts, as they worked through the pandemic response.  Two thirds of those Trump appointees are gone.  Across the government Senate confirmed expertise, and next tier experienced bureaucrats, have been replaced with lackeys or not replaced at all.

For instance, the top level of Homeland Security, so crucial in a crisis looks like this:

Secretary (acting), Chad F. Wolf | Secretary's Corner

• Deputy Secretary (vacant), Ken Cuccinelli, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary
• Chief of Staff (acting), John Gountanis
• Executive Secretary (acting), Juliana Blackwell
• General Counsel (acting), Chad Mizelle
• Military Advisor, Rear Admiral Brendan C. McPherson

Trump has no government experience.  He has crafted an administration in his own image.  His choices come from central casting, and none are long lasting.