Monday Musings - February 10, 2020

1. Mid-February is upon us. How quickly the days seem to be passing.

2. Baseball season is finally upon us. Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training tomorrow! And so it begins. My pre-season prediction, unfortunately, is for the Orioles to finish 57-105. It will be their third consecutive 100 loss season and their fourth consecutive losing season.

3. I am heading to Orioles Spring Training in just over two weeks to review the team's rebuilding progress in person. 

4. The weather was beautiful this past weekend. It was nice to enjoy pleasant February days while waiting for the big one. 

5. As the winter continues into the middle of February, I am thankful that it has been mild here.

6. Civility matters! We need to be understanding of each other. Disagree over facts, but do not attack the person.

7. Winners should be magnanimous, losers should be humble, and those on the sidelines should remember where they are.

8. Counting our blessings means that every day we recognize that we have more good things in our lives than we do negative things.

9. Today in History. On February 10, 1996, after three hours, world chess champion Garry Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second.  Man was ultimately victorious over machine, however, as Kasparov bested Deep Blue in the match with three wins and two ties and took home the $400,000 prize. An estimated 6 million people worldwide followed the action on the Internet.

Coronavirus deaths climb as China corrals sick in quarantine facilities - The Washington Post

Foreign interference in elections is unacceptable. Congress must make it illegal. - The Washington Post

Ransomware Attacks Grow, Crippling Cities and Businesses - The New York Times

3 Officers Wounded in Targeted Attacks on Police in the Bronx - The New York Times

China's coronavirus death toll surpasses SARS - Reuters

Iranian 'Victory' satellite fails to reach orbit - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy - the system of a free press, unions, political parties, universities - which allows a people to choose their own way to develop their own culture, to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means. - Ronald Reagan

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Vengeance vs Civility

The country is recovering from the events of the past weeks. We have arrived at the beginning of the new week and I have had the opportunity to process some of the recent events.

The biggest topic on my mind was how we ended the week. I am concerned about vengeance and revenge that has been and is being extracted from people. The playground mentality that we are living with right now at the highest levels of our government suggest that "to the victor belong the spoils" and that the winners get to set the rules. In my mind too many people are supporting this thuggish mentality. Too many self-professed Christian people, at that.

There is a higher authority who has delivered a very clear message about vengeance, retribution, and revenge. 

Romans 12:19-20

 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Leviticus 19:18:

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 32:35:

Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Consequences? Yes, there are consequences for actions, but consequences should not be equated with vengeance or revenge. There is no room for playground thuggishness in our government. We must break the cycle of "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth." The language of our leaders sets the tone for the entire country. The consequences of inciting language and the liberal meting of vengeance will be suffered by us all.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Purse Bingo

Friday evening is normally an evening devoted to friends and Happy hour. Reconnecting after a long week and planning the weekend and our next vacation is usually the topic of the evening. 

Purse Bingo About to Begin
Elks Club
Severn, MD
February 7, 2020

Not so last evening. It is no secret that the youth baseball team that I help coach is playing in a tournament in Cooperstown, NY, during late June. Last evening was devoted to volunteering at a major fundraiser for the team--Purse Bingo!

My job was to sell tickets for beverages and to help out in however I was asked to help. That made me very happy because I am not much of a Bingo player. Actually, I am terrible at the game. I don't understand the skill aspect of it. Is there any skill in Bingo?

So what is Purse Bingo? It is Bingo where the prizes for winning the games are high-end hand bags--purses. There was one special game where the prize was a big screen TV. As can be seen from the picture, there were not a lot of men (there were a few who accompanied their wives or girlfriends) at the event. But they were all ready to win purses!

Raffle Prize
Purse Bingo
February 7, 2019

It was a fun evening, however. I enjoyed selling the tickets and helping the team make money towards it's goal. 

In addition to the Bingo games, there were raffles and we sold tickets for the raffle items--that is where the fun began. There were almost 30 baskets of goodies, donated by many people and businesses. And among them was one special "tail-gating" collection consisting of a collapsible wagon, cornhole boards in Raven's colors, a small charcoal grill complete with charcoal, an awesome carbon steel knife, beer, and a few other choice items. It, amazingly, came home with Chris and me! It was there only thing we won all night, but it was worth it. It was kind of fitting that we won because I had to assemble the wagon before the evening began. 

At the end of the evening, when the all of Bingo players had departed and the money was counted, I can report that the team did well towards meeting its goal. The week long Cooperstown tournament is expensive. We have been practicing at an indoor facility and are hoping to get outside onto the fields soon. 

Baseball is not just for springtime anymore. 

Thank you to all of the people who came out last night to play Bingo and support the team!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday in the News

Well the tumultuous week is drawing to a conclusion. And what a week it has been here in the U.S. Here is a sampling of what os on the minds of journalists as today begins here on the east coast.


Here is a quick review of the headlines from around the globe.

Behind the chaos: How a small-city mayor and a democratic socialist finished on top in Iowa - The Washington Post

With trial over, Trump returns to political maelstrom - The Washington Post

No 10 says Johnson's row with Trump was ‘overblown’ - The Guardian

British man on stricken cruise ship has coronavirus - The Times

CHINA CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: Face masks made mandatory in Russia’s Khabarovsk to prevent coronavirus spread - Tass

Russia’s top brass uploads video of upgraded Tu-160M bomber’s debut flight - Tass

Prominent role for AI emerges in virus fight - China Daily

The aces in Trump's hand: a soaring economy and energised Republicans - The Sydney Morning Herald


And so we are off on another adventure in politics. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And Now, The Encore

The third presidential impeachment trial in the history of the United States is complete and the President remains president. The final outcome was almost never in doubt due to the insightful requirements in the Constitution that two-thirds of the Senators must vote for conviction. 

It was a strictly partisan result, with only Republicans voting to acquit. Interestingly, democrats, independents, and one republican voted to convict on the first article of impeachment. 

I was extremely distressed by the playground mentality demonstrated by some republicans who immediately vilified the lone party dissenter. Here is a headline from The Guardian:

Donald Trump Jr calls for Mitt Romney to be expelled from Republican party

That is an example of playground mentality and is the antithesis of the American Way as defined the Constitution. 

That comment supports a headline I read in the New York Times:

In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear 

We are not a country founded upon groupthink and fear. We are a country founded upon dissenters and leaders! In my humble opinion anyone espousing removing the lone dissenter from the party is un-American! There I wrote it! Vilifying him is an example of the "thuggishness" that is taking over our country.  When people are not allowed to vote their conscience we have lost one of the very basic premises upon which our Republic was founded. 

I listened to Romney's speech detailing the reasons for his vote. They were personal and compelling. He also fully recognized the personal toll his vote would cost. Yet, he voted for what he believed.

The electorate has the right to agree or disagree with his decision during election season.  That is the premise upon which our country is founded. But for now--he did what he was elected to do--vote his conscience in a reasoned and thoughtful manner. 

Now that the second act is complete and we thought that the curtain had fallen upon the impeachment play, the audience must hold its applause as because there is an encore. Today, we deal with the aftermath. Will we see leaders that attempt to repair that which was broken during the past few months, or will we see partisan politicians throwing gasoline upon the raging fires and inciting vengeance and retribution? 

The answer will soon be known.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Maybe an Early Spring?

I know that February will exert itself, but for now I am enjoying the moderate temperatures and dream of an early Spring. 

The region set a record high temperature on Monday and were only four degrees off the record high on Tuesday. Yes, all while the mid-section of the country was getting slammed by a nasty winter storm. 

The region has recorded 1.5 inches of snow so far this entire season. I am enjoying the mild weather. 

The mild weather makes up for the nonsense occurring in Washington. 

Looking into the 10-day forecast, there are only two days where the temperature is likely to dip below freezing!

I like winters like this. I know that our time is coming, I am sure a nor'easter will come up the coast before the winter ends,  but until then I will continue to enjoy the mild weather. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Is There One Among You . . .

After the excitement I created on Saturday writing about the Impeachment, I hesitate commenting on the proceedings associated with yesterday's closing arguments. 

Despite my hesitation, I believe that Congressman Adam Schiff's 25-minute closing argument is another masterpiece of oratory. Should you be interested, this is the link: Closing Argument Democrats. 

It will be good to get this chapter of American history closed on Wednesday. Except, it is not over. There is a book coming out with more information and there are papers to be released. This is, sadly or maybe fittingly, not the end but only a pause. 

One phrase from Schiff's speech is a haunting damnation of the entire partisan process: 

'Is there one among you who will say, Enough!'?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 3, 2020

1. Welcome to February 2020.  It is already the third day of the new month. Remember, this February is a Leap Year February, hence, it had 29 days!

2. Yesterday was an interesting weather day. It started partly overcast, then turned into a gray rainy day, and finally the clouds cleared about 2:30 PM and the sky was clear and beautiful. 

3. How about that Super Bowl? It definitely was SUPER! I did not post it on my blog, but someone at work asked me who I wanted to win and I said Kansas City and they will win by 10! I missed it by a point--they won by 11. Final score, in case you missed it: Chiefs 31 - 49ers 20. The Chiefs actually scored all of the points needed to win the game during the 4th Quarter (21)!

4. We are back to the Impeachment proceedings today. I wonder what surprises await us? 

5. Hopefully, the weather here in the Baltimore region will continue to be as moderate for February as January was! I love mild winters. I know the ret of the country is getting slammed--but it is relatively mild here.

6. Today in History. On February 3, 2005, Alberto Gonzales wins Senate confirmation as the nation’s first Hispanic attorney general despite protests over his record on torture.

The Senate approved his nomination on a largely party-line vote of 60-36, reflecting a split between Republicans and Democrats over whether the administration’s counterterrorism policies had led to the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and elsewhere. Shortly after the Senate vote, Vice President Dick Cheney swore in Gonzales as attorney general in a small ceremony in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. President Bush, who was traveling, called to congratulate him.

Headlines

Reid, Chiefs are comeback kings - CBS Sports

SARS Stung the Global Economy. The Coronavirus Is a Greater Menace. - The New York Times

Iowa Does Represent America: It’s Old - The New York Times

China counts economic cost of virus as markets plunge, death toll up - Reuters

Russia to expel foreigners with coronavirus, halts passenger trains to China - Reuters

Bushfire smoke blows into Australia's capital as fire threat eases - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Hatred, envy, and bigotry are as old as the human race itself, as too many tragic passages in the history of the world bear witness. What is new and daring and encouraging about the American experiment is that from the beginning, men and women strove mightily to undo these evils and to overcome the prejudice and injustice of the old world in the virgin soil of the new.
  -- Remarks in New York City on Receiving the Charles Evans Hughes Gold Medal of the National Conference of Christians and Jews - March 23, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What Does the Groundhog Say?

Punxsutawney Phil

Groundhog Day 2020 has arrived! It kind of slipped right onto the scene amid the political circus occurring in Washington. 

The day is a palindrome-- 0202 2020.

It is Ground Hog Day, that uniquely American celebration to hopefully declare an early end to Winter and the beginning of rebirth and declare an early Spring. 

It is also Super Bowl Sunday! Maybe Phil from Punxsutawney can also predict the the outcome of the big game. 

I know it is a much needed diversion from the political upheaval of the day. 

So I am watching the forecasting event live. My favorite rodent in the world has arrived with his prediction. 

So what does the groundhog say? 

And the prediction is for an early Spring. Yay!!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What Does Failure Look Like?

The Senate confirmed that the fix is in and that the Impeachment Trial is not a trial but a political exercise in futility.

No witnesses, no documents, no justice in the Senate - LA Times

Republicans Block Impeachment Witnesses, Clearing Path for Trump Acquittal - The New York Times

While the final outcome, as I wrote some days ago, has almost never been in doubt, taking the high road to get to that ending would have been the honorable thing to do. 

Despite the weak defense argument that no witnesses were required, the failure to investigate fully the charges during the trial is a threat against the Constitution. AND even if the allegations were proven, the second question about whether they constitute an impeachable offense could then have been addressed from a factual basis. 

It is clear that fearing for their jobs the Senate Republicans, save for two brave souls, hung together.   It is a perversion of the words of Franklin when he warned the Continental Congress that: We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. 

Rather than having an official, sworn testimony upon which voters could base their decisions during the upcoming elections, now we are left with a book,  rumors and innuendo. Let the blustery comments begin.

The truth is out there--but will remain hidden from view. The coverup is complete. The Senate has most assuredly failed in executing its most solemn of tasks.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD