Monday Musings - June 15, 2020

1. It is the third Monday of June. June has five Mondays this month. It is also June 15th--the mid-point of a tumultuous month. The year 2020 is racing towards being half over. There is still time to salvage the year. 

2. The summer solstice will occur at 5:23 PM EDT on Saturday, June 20th. The longest daylight of the year. Plan to enjoy it!

Baby Robins in their Nest
Elkridge, MD
June 14, 2020

3. The baby robins are growing in their nest. I was able to sneak a picture of them all snuggled down while their mother was out getting food. The hardest thing we are doing is keeping the plant that their nest is located in alive while the fledglings mature. Trust me, I have had some close encounters with the parents!

4. Major League Baseball mystifies me. The other sports are finding ways to get back to the game, and the MLB is finding reasons not to play. America's pastime is being bankrupted by over paid players and risk averse owners. They have forgotten about the game. 

5. Our pool has seen some great use so far this season. It has given me a lot of joy to be able to help others escape the heat and the cares of the day while enjoying a few hours in the pool.

6. Gas prices are creeping up just in time for the reopening of society. Coincidence? I think not!

7. My gym hopefully will reopen on Friday! Maryland is moving along the path of reopening.

8. When we can laugh at ourselves we find the most joy in life.

Fogged Glasses (not me)

9. I got out this morning to play racquetball at the outdoor court again. It was a much more enjoyable activity given the cooler temperatures. I am having a problem wearing a face mask. I fog over--not just while playing racquetball. If anyone knows a simple solution, I would really appreciate it. I am considering contacts, but they will not help with racquetball since I will still wear protective goggles.  I have tried positioning my mask in different places to minimize the fogging.  The mask I have for racquetball has an adjustable nosepiece and I still fog. 

10. Today in History. June 15, 1215, following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on Magna Carta, or “the Great Charter.” The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws. Although more a reactionary than a progressive document in its day, Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.

Coronavirus Cases Spike Across Sun Belt as Economy Lurches into Motion - The New York Times

Tanker Truck Blast on China Highway Kills 19 - The New York Times

Atlanta Police Shooting Sparks New Outrage - The Wall Street Journal

MLB Players End Negotiations, Dare League to Impose Season - The Wall Street Journal

Atlanta police shooting of black man was a homicide, coroner says - Reuters

Chinese capital reinstates curbs as coronavirus resurfaces - Reuters

Twitter compares NBC News tweets on Trump event, NYC rally - Fox News

The Court-Martial of Donald J. Trump - The New York Times (Opinion)

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

I thought I'd try something different and remind everyone of a side of presidents that we have not seen much of these past 3-and-a-half years: Humor! President Reagan's best jokes and humor. There are also some great quotes.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flag Day: A Time for Rededication

Happy Flag Day! 

Yes, the symbol of our nation is celebrated today with its own special commemoration. 

The flag and the issues swirling around respect for the flag have been in the news for years now and I am encouraged that our flag remains big enough and confident enough to fly high and free. 

My Neighbor's Flag
Elkridge, MD
June 14, 2020

This year National Flag Week runs from June 14-20. It is an entire week to celebrate the flag and the republic it represents.

But, we must not use the flag to try to cover up or hide the the pain and suffering that is occurring in our nation. Our flag flies because it strong enough to recognize we are not perfect as a country. It waves because out of our imperfection we strive to become better.

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Our flag must not be used as a symbol of oppression, but instead as a symbol of freedom, justice, and equality. Until the words of the Pledge, "with liberty and justice for all," are fully implemented we must continuously strive to make our country and the flag it represents, better. 

Our flag is the flag for all Americans, not just the privileged. When one group of Americans experiences injustice or discrimination--we must all feel their pain and work correct the injustice. 

The Flag is the flag of the immigrants, some of whom passed by the Statue of Liberty as they arrived in New York Harbor, but however they arrived the words of the poem are still true: 

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Our Flag represents the Republic founded upon the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We must rededicate ourselves to the ideals envisioned in the our founding documents and make them a reality for everyone who calls themselves an American.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday Dawns--Needs to Get Better

It has been a wild day already and it is only a few hours old. 

Hydrangea in the Morning
Elkridge, MD
June 13, 2020

After celebrating a great Happy Hour with friends last night ending around a roaring bonfire, I had thought the morning which dawned bright and clear would be spectacular. I even took an image of our hydrangea which caught my eye as I was taking the dogs out earlier. The hydrangea displayed beautiful color in the golden rising sun light. Wow. 

And then the day took a downturn. Mikayla had an early morning drop-off at the vet for some tests. No big deal. So about 6:45 AM, Makayla and I hopped into the truck for the drive to the vet. Everything went well until I got to the vet.

Makayla always has to relieve herself when we get out of the truck, I know that, so I took her for a quick walk and she did pee. I called the vet to announce our arrival and Makayla was wandering around my feet while I was distracted. Well, it was then that I noticed that I had forgotten my facemark, ugh, the new normal. When the vet came to meet me and take Makayla it was then that I noticed that Makayla was pooping on the sidewalk, no big deal, I had poop bags. BUT--as I was cleaning that tile it was then that I noticed she had pooped before that while I was on the phone and distracted AND I had stepped in it!

Of course I cleaned it as best as I could (it was kind of soft) and offered to mop the sidewalk. The vet tech rescued me by saying she would clean the mess. She probably wanted to get rid of the non-mask wearing somewhat frazzled man with whom she was dealing. And a line with other dogs to be dropped off was forming.

So in summary:

By 7:15 AM, before my first cup of coffee, I had taken an image of spectacular flowers, delivered my dog to the vet for tests, forgotten my facemark, and stepped in dog poop! OMG--what else is coming today?

Note: Correction, I called it the wrong flower! Just to add to the mess of the day. I have corrected it. At least they both began with "H."

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Democracy Dies in Darkness

The official slogan of The Washington Post is Democracy Dies in Darkness. 

According to Wikipedia, it was adopted during February 2017 and added to the website and then the print version of the newspaper. 

I confess that I had seen the slogan, but was not aware of its recent addition to the banner. For some reason this morning I decided to research when it was adopted by The Washington Post. I was shocked to learn that it was just over three years ago.

The Wikipedia article documents the addition of the slogan to the banner as follows:

"Democracy Dies in Darkness" was the first slogan to be officially adopted by the Post in its 140-year history.^[2] According to the newspaper, the phrase was popularized by investigative journalist Bob Woodward.^[3] Woodward used the phrase in a 2007 piece criticizing government secrecy,^[4] and referenced the phrase during a 2015 presentation at a conference when he talked about The Last of the President's Men, his book about the Watergate scandal. Woodward said he did not coin the phrase himself, instead attributing the phrase to a judge ruling on a First Amendment case, believed to be from Circuit Judge Damon Keith. The paper's owner Jeff Bezos, who attended Woodward's 2015 presentation, also used the phrase in a May 2016 interview. The newspaper said it decided to adopt an official slogan in 2016, before Donald Trump won the Republican nomination for president of the United States. This started a process which involved a small group of newspaper employees meeting to develop ideas for slogans. The group eventually settled on "Democracy Dies in Darkness" after brainstorming over 500 options.^[2]

The slogan goes nicely with All the News That's Fit to Print, which of course is the slogan of The New York Times. I could not find that slogan on the electronic version of the paper, but it remains on the printed version. 

It is the job of the free and Constitutionally-protected press to discover and report the news and to cast light upon those things which we need to know and which others may want to conceal from our view. We can disagree about the slant of the reporting, whether liberal-leaning or conservative, but at the end of the day it is the reporting of the news and happenings in our government which lights the dark places to reveal topics which we need to understand and address. 

The press helps the electorate to hold our elected and appointed leaders accountable.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Finding Bias

Looter

The use of language in what is written and spoken is critical. Word choice must be accomplished in a manner to clearly express thoughts and intentions.

Protestors and Demonstrators 

I have been reading the words more closely lately and I have found a basic difference in characterization of the protests underway in the U.S. by the media.

One report of Mitt Romney's walk with the protestors this past weekend reports it as follows:

Over the weekend, Mitt Romney marched with Black Lives Matter to protest President Trump.

Romney made it clear he agreed with the rioters and looters that America is a racist country that needs to pay for its sins.

     -- Patriot Pulse


Fox News reported it more evenly:

Lawmakers including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Mitt Romney joined the crowds demanding justice for George Floyd in major cities over the weekend -- as some demonstrators seemingly amped up their rhetoric with stronger calls to disband police departments.

CNN Reported the event:

Over the weekend, Romney marched alongside protesters in Washington, tweeting what he has said is an obvious and important phrase to repeat: "Black lives matter."

What I want to point out is the characterization of the people that Senator Romney was marching with in the differing reports. The first implied that they were "rioters and looters." Words that are designed to incite the readers to action. The second and third, use more neutral words: "demonstrators" and "protestors."

Read carefully to discern the bias. Some of what is being "reported" is really propaganda.

Black Lives Matter

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Return to the Court

It was not pretty and the weather was not conducive, but yesterday marked my return to the racquetball court for the first time since mid-March, fully three months ago. 

Outdoors Racquetball Court
Columbia, MD
June 9, 2020

The return to racquetball came on an outdoors court in Columbia, MD. I had never played on an outdoors court before and I have to say it was better than I expected--it was a four-wall court made of poured concrete and cinderblock. Being back on the court was fantastic, even in the 90 degree temperatures with soaring humidity. It showed how out of shape I had become while sheltering in place. I had thought it would not be so bad since I have been walking regularly, but there is a big difference between walking a golf course or with a dog around the neighborhood and chasing a 100 mph blue ball around an 800 square foot concrete enclosure on a 90 degree day. 

My game was understandably ragged. I had to get used to playing in a mask and I also added a hat to help keep the sun off my head. And then there were the shadows on the court--which you can see in the picture. I have to admit, it was a different experience tracking the ball from sun to shadow and back to sun. I felt the concrete walls made the ball play faster--which further highlighted how much work I need to do to get back into some semblance of racquetball shape.

But despite the weather and the raggedness of my game, it was a great return to the court and the next step in finding the new normal living with coronavirus! And we are going to play again next week--during the morning hours to avoid the heat!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Propaganda vs News

I have been reading a lot of reporting of late. I am trying to read reporting from liberal, conservative, foreign, and moderate sources to gain perspective on the the issues. 

In reading the different sources, I am discovering trends that help me identify factual reporting versus slanted reporting (propaganda) playing on emotions or designed to incite a portion of the population.

An example from recent reporting:

If there is a reference to another news organization as "the fake news . . . " or "a reporter from the fake news . . . " I am probably reading heavily slanted reporting or propaganda. I offer an example from the reporting about the CNN Reporter that was arrested in Minneapolis. One sentence that stuck with me: Fake news CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez was broadcasting from the riots in Minneapolis . . . You can find the story at this link. Why is this clearly slanted reporting? Because the story was not about the particular news outlet, it was about a First Amendment Right being abridged in the arrest of a reported doing his job. 

Factual reporting is just that--facts without the inflammatory verbiage. When inciting language is contained in the articles, then there is likely a propaganda intent behind the reporting. 

Labeling everyone protesting as a terrorist is another tactic that I noted. During the past few days when there has been little violence, it has become clear that the peaceful demonstrators are citizens exercising their right to protest issues to the government. Yes, there were examples of looting early on, but they were not necessarily terrorists, they were criminals. Adding the terrorist designation without supporting evidence is an example of propaganda reporting designed to inflame a segment of the population. Tear-gassing and shooting demonstrators exercising their first amendment protected rights and following the directions of law enforcement is wrong--unless of course you decide that they are terrorists. 

Beware what you read--there are forces out there trying to shape what you believe.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 8, 2020

1. Here it is, the second Monday of June 2020. The year of everything crazy. The year is almost half complete and we still do not have our feet beneath us. 

2. Summertime weather arrived. Thankfully, the pool is open and ready to cool and refresh. I have been enjoying it almost daily.

Looking out from Big Cork Vineyards
Rohrersville, MD
June 7, 2020

3. Yesterday, Chris and I made our longest trip from home since mid-March. We visited Big Cork Vineyards for a wine club pick-up party. It was good to see the vines and people. We were outside and well separated following the state mandated coronavirus rules. I was amazed at how many people visited the winery, which has ample outside seating to escape their homes and begin to find a new normal.


4. I found an instructive article for people having a difficult time understanding "Black Lives Matter." It is titled The Black Lives Matter Movement Explained. I highly recommend reading the article.

5. The nearly perfect weather of the past few days has significantly increased my outside fun. Although I did not enjoy my pool yesterday, because I was enjoying wine at a vineyard, it was a magnificent day to be outside and enjoy the clear sky dotted with puffy clouds.

6. While at Big Cork, I inquired about the status of the grapes and whether they had suffered loss with the late season frosts the the region experienced. I am happy to report that because of the near constant winds the vineyards locations near the tops of the rolling hills, they did not suffer loss. I took some pictures of the vies and can report that I saw healthy grape clusters hiding beneath the leaves. There will be a harvest later this year. 

7. Today in History.  James Earl Ray, an escaped American convict, is arrested in London, England, and charged with the assassination of African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

On April 4, 1968, in Memphis, King was fatally wounded by a sniper’s bullet while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Motel Lorraine. That evening, a Remington .30-06 hunting rifle was found on the sidewalk beside a rooming house one block from the Lorraine Motel. During the next several weeks, the rifle, eyewitness reports, and fingerprints on the weapon all implicated a single suspect: escaped convict James Earl Ray. A two-bit criminal, Ray escaped a Missouri prison in April 1967 while serving a sentence for a holdup. In May 1968, a massive manhunt for Ray began. The FBI eventually determined that he had obtained a Canadian passport under a false identity, which at the time was relatively easy.

Headlines

Trump Orders Troops to Leave D.C. as Former Military Leaders Sound Warning - The New York Times

Tropical Storm Cristobal Makes Landfall in Louisiana - The New York Times

New York City Begins Reopening After 3 Months of Outbreak and Hardship - The New York Times

Protests Fuel Moves to Shift Funding From Police - The Wall Street Journal

Apologies, Protests and Rebellion: Inside the NFL’s 72-Hour Awakening - The Wall Street Journal

Countries around the world join in anti-police brutality demonstrations - OANN

Saying Trump 'drifted away' from Constitution, Colin Powell picks Biden - Reuters

Tens of thousands join Black Lives Matter protest in London - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Black Lives Matter

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Is that Dog Broken?

Finnegan being Carried
Another "crippled" Dog
Elkridge, MD
June 3, 2020

At dinner the other evening with friends a remark was made, "Oh, another crippled dog." I looked around for they injured animal, but did not see one. I did notice a small dog being carried by a woman. And then it occurred to me, that must be the crippled dog about which the comment was made. It was too injured to walk. Of course the dog was not injured at all, its owner was just carrying it.

We saw more dogs during the evening which were being carried and there the comment about a crippled dog was always made. 

Apparently Finnegan, although he was not present at dinner, discovered that he, too, could feign an injury be carried. It happened the other day during our morning walk as the temperatures were approaching 90 degrees. 

Finnegan stopped walking and sat down. He would not move. As we were a good distance from home and with the temperature rising, I shared the burden with Chris and carried him. Finnegan became the crippled dog! 

As it turned out I was not walking the dog, the dog was walking me!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flag Respect vs Real Issues

Respect for the flag is back in the news and is supplanting reporting about coronavirus (no, it has not gone away) and social injustice. Although the discussion which generated the respect for the flag conflict was social injustice, it seems that conveniently this underlying issue has been dropped.

I learned a new word this morning, vexillologist: a person who studies flags. 

Drew Brees

 The subject of respect for the flag is back in the news with Drew Brees and the president exchanging their differences in the media. 

The statements for documenting this discussion are contained in a CNN report which can be accessed at the link. 

Brees' comments come after he initially said Wednesday he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag." He later issued an apology for his comments saying his comments were "insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country."

President Donald Trump then got involved and said Brees should have never backtracked on his comments. 

"He should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag," Trump tweeted. "OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high..."

Brees then took to Instagram, saying that "we can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities." 

"Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been," Brees' post read. "We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities."

But, about the flag, here is the really interesting part. A noted vexillologist wrote an an article titled, What Does It Mean To Disrespect The U.S. Flag?. In that article he highlights a flag display in The Art Institute of Chicago and one of the comments about it, “Why are we so OK with homeless people being on the ground, but not flags?”

He goes on to write:

In fact, it was this art piece that partially led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1990 that established the U.S. Flag Code as just a guideline, not an enforceable law.

Now you cannot be punished for placing a flag on the ground, burning a flag, or wearing one as a bikini. And that is a good thing, not just for your first amendment rights, but because we break the flag code literally every day.

He goes on to write about the kneeling during the National Anthem: 

We all remember the controversy around Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. This breaks the U.S. Flag Code Title 36, Subtitle I, Part A section 301, which states: “(C) all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart…” It’s a clear violation, but totally legal.

Yet during the same anthem, sometimes in the same stadium, often a giant flag is spread over the field and held parallel to the ground by a host of volunteers.

This act violates subsection 8. “Respect for flag” Part C which reads: “The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.” A few minutes later when the teams run out, you’ll sometimes see the flag as part of their uniform. Another clear violation. Part J reads: “No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.”

He goes on later to begin to conclude:

So what offends me the most as a flag researcher is when people decide who is represented by the flag and who isn’t — when they use it as an identity weapon against a self-defined out-group. Kneeling for the anthem, letting the flag touch the ground, all of those things just break an unenforceable guideline. Changing the flag’s meaning to represent something other than unity, however, is a desecration of the flag’s intent, purpose and design.

Let's be clear, it is not about the flag. Making it about the flag diminishes and obscures the real issue. The real issue, which is contained in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, as prescribed in the Flag Code, is ensuring ". . . with liberty and justice for all."

Black Lives Matter

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD