Monday Musings - January 18, 2021

 

1. It is the third Monday of January. It is also Inauguration Week 2021. And I even typed the year correctly this week. Maybe I am finally getting it.

2. Family NFL Football Results:

    Steelers - lost last week, out of playoffs

    Football Team - lost last week, out of playoffs

    Cowboys - Did not make the playoffs

    Ravens lost to Bills 3-17 in the Division round. 

    All of the family teams are out of the playoffs.

Morning Sunlight on the Trees
Elkridge, MD
January, 17, 2021

3. The sunlight yesterday as it moved down the bare trees outside my window caused me to take the image. It was a beautiful sunrise and the sunlight reminded me that it is mid-January and in about 90 short days, I will be opening my pool and preparing for the swimming season.

4. No word on the MLB season yet. I had heard that the MLB told the teams to prepare for an on-time season kick-off, but that leaves Spring Training up in the air.

5. The Inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, the 59th Inauguration in the history of this great country is occurring this week. Inaugurations are a celebration not just for the winners, but for all Americans. It confirms our unique place in the world, and I have celebrated the inaugurations of presidents for whom I did not vote. Elections should not be a contentious as this one has been. There have been others in our history, but generally the inauguration is a celebration for all Americans, and we should remember that.

6. Today is the day we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was the preeminent leader of the American Civil Rights Movement which advocated nonviolent means.  

7. Is anyone else really amazed at how law enforcement has been able to track down the insurrectionists? 

8. "Leadership, at its core, in my view, is about being personal. . . You always put yourself in the other person's position, and then also to understand where they're coming from, whether it's a major foreign leader or a friend whom you have a disagreement with. And it's also being willing to share credit, give recognition, and share in the benefits as well as in the losses if you're in an endeavor together." - Joe Biden in Inc.

9. Today in History. On January 18, 1919, in Paris, France, some of the most powerful people in the world meet to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of the First World War.

Leaders of the victorious Allied powers—France, Great Britain, the United States and Italy—would make most of the crucial decisions in Paris over the next six months. For most of the conference, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson struggled to support his idea of a “peace without victory” and make sure that Germany, the leader of the Central Powers and the major loser of the war, was not treated too harshly. On the other hand, Prime Ministers Georges Clemenceau of France and David Lloyd George of Britain argued that punishing Germany adequately and ensuring its weakness was the only way to justify the immense costs of the war. In the end, Wilson compromised on the treatment of Germany in order to push through the creation of his pet project, an international peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations.

Troops, Blockades and Eerie Quiet Pervade a Locked-Down Washington - The Wall Street Journal

Blow to Business Travel Is Expected to Last for Years - The Wall Street Journal

A Year of Coronavirus Devastation: How the U.S. Ensured Its Own Failure - The New York Times

NASA’s Mega Rocket to the Moon Faces Setback After Test - The New York Times 

The Jamaican connection: Kamala Harris’s father, a proud islander, made sure his daughters know their heritage - The Washington. Post

North Korea could become one of Biden’s biggest challenges — and not just because of its nukes - The Washington Post

Portugal's health system on brink of collapse as COVID-19 cases surge - Reuters

Biden to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on first day in office: CBC - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

The time has come for a new American emancipation--a great national drive to tear down economic barriers and liberate the spirit of enterprise in the most distressed areas of our country. My friends, together we can do this, and do it we must, so help me God.-- From new freedom will spring new opportunities for growth, a more productive, fulfilled and united people, and a stronger America--an America that will lead the technological revolution, and also open its mind and heart and soul to the treasures of literature, music, and poetry, and the values of faith, courage, and love.

A dynamic economy, with more citizens working and paying taxes, will be our strongest tool to bring down budget deficits. But an almost unbroken 50 years of deficit spending has finally brought us to a time of reckoning. We have come to a turning point, a moment for hard decisions. I have asked the Cabinet and my staff a question, and now I put the same question to all of you: If not us, who? And if not now, when? It must be done by all of us going forward with a program aimed at reaching a balanced budget. We can then begin reducing the national debt.

            Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan - MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 1985

-- Bob Doan Elkridge, MD