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

Time to Cool and Unify

The 90 degree heat, experienced for the second day in a row, broke last night as thunderstorms rolled across the area. Much needed rain was received which revived the plants. Hopefully, the rain will cool the rhetoric in the nation a bit.

It was a tumultuous day with statements by a very respected General and former Secretary of Defense about the nation's situation being published. And then, there were corroborating statements from other retired generals. And tweets, of course there were tweets. 

I read former Secretary of Defense James Mattis' statement. While some parts were highlighted in the news, I found two paragraphs especially meaningful towards the end of his statement, one of which was extensively quoted, but the paragraph preceding it provides an important and interesting historical context. I am using the statement as quoted in The Atlantic article, James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution.

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

Despite yesterday's tweets about General Mattis, the president made the following statement about the general at his swearing-in ceremony on January 27, 2017:

I'd like to first congratulate General James Mattis, now Secretary Mattis. Secretary Mattis has devoted his life to serving his country. He is a man of honor, a man of devotion, and a man of total action. He likes action. He is the right man at the right time, and he will do us all very, very proud.


I think the statement that I highlighted is more true than was realized at the time. 

We need to heed the general's words and resist efforts to divide us. We must set aside political divisions and also overcome cultural and ethnic divisiveness. We are all different and unique, but we are all Americans and our diverse nature is what makes us strong unlike any other country on the planet. We embrace our diversity.

We American citizens are the "We the People" referred to in the preamble of the Constitution. "We the People" have the ultimate power to effect change and ensure the survival of the Republic described in the Constitution.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Finding a Normal Again

Pool Party
Elkridge, MD
June 3, 2020

It was hot yesterday! It was our first 90 degree day since October 2019 and the 96 degree temperature reading was 50 degrees hotter than the temperature on Monday morning, just two days previous. 


I loved it. 

Pool Party from Above
Radio Flyer above Elkridge, MD
June 3, 2020

With the arrival of the hot weather, we had our first pool party of the coronavirus era as our family works to find the new normal. Their community pool remains closed and so two of our grandsons along with three of their friends arrived about 11:30 AM for a day of fun in the heat! It was great to watch them swim and play in the water. The draconian rules that will be implemented at most public pools will preclude kids actually playing in the water, for a good reason and for their own protection. But a vetted family and friends group, such as the one in my pool yesterday, is perfect for a private pool.

It was such a nice day that I even took Radio Flyer up for a short 9 minute  to a maximum altitude of 55 feet flight to capture the scene from above. At one point the boys threw balls at the drone--so I had to anticipate the throws and move away from the potential danger.

I believe that the pool will see a lot of activity this year from family and close friends due to the reduced opportunities to enjoy the water in their own neighborhoods. 

We are all struggling to find the new normal as we learn to live with the coronavirus.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A New Day Arrives

Yesterday was a momentous day. 

First Dinner Out since Coronavirus Lock-down
Annapolis, MD
June 2, 2020

It was primary day in Maryland and we voted by mail last week. Chris and I are very comfortable voting by mail. Having been in the military when I was younger, I never missed voting in a primary or a general election and I always had to vote by mail. I believe every vote matters and I personally do not see a problem with using mail-in ballots. It is important to vote and to have every vote counted. 


We also went out to dinner for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown. Yes to a restaurant, ok it calls itself a pub, Davis' Pub. We met with friends who arrived, in Annapolis, for dinner. We met with them as protestors were gathering to march through the streets of Maryland's capitol city. It was exciting to see the protestors gathering and we found a restaurant away from the crowd to enjoy dinner and catch-up on life since the last time we enjoyed time together. Dinner outside was great and we were told that this was only the second day that the pub was open for dining outside since the coronavirus lock-down. During dinner we could hear helicopters circling over downtown Annapolis monitoring the demonstration. 

Top of the Maryland Statehouse
From Main Street, Annapolis, MD
June 2, 2020

Chris on Main Street
Annapolis, MD
June 2, 2020

After dinner, and we tarried at the table for a long while to ensure the protest was over, and then headed into the city center not really knowing what to expect. We found deserted streets and although there remained a heightened police presence, the protest were evidently peaceful and the streets were vacant. And I mean vacant! None of the shops were open, but we found a small bar on Main Street with some outside seating and, fortunately, open restrooms. We sat and watched the last rays of the day fade from the sky. Enjoying time with friends and effectively being alone on the streets of Annapolis. 

Yesterday a new day dawned complete with citizens peacefully exercising their Constitutional right to demand change and dinner at a restaurant for the first time since early-March!

I wonder what new things today will bring.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Night the Lights Went Off

The foundations of the Republic have been shaken during the past few days. 

The lights went off at The White House during the height of the protests. 

There are conflicting reports as to whether the lights go off almost every night or not, some report that historically the lights only go off when a President dies. 

The optic, however, is bad. At the height of the protests outside The White House when leadership was needed most, the single most identifiable seat for democracy in the entire world went dark. "The People's House" went dark! Our country is often referred to as the shining beacon of democracy for the world, yet, when leadership was needed most the lights went off.

The leadership void continued throughout yesterday as governors were berated, peaceful protesters forcibly moved for an ill-advised and unwanted photo op in front of a burned church building, and the use of U.S. military force against Americans was threatened using a act passed in 1807. 

There is no vision at the top! Our leaders are reacting, not leading but only threatening military action against protestors.. 

This has become a worldwide protest and yet the issue at the root of the protests is not being addressed.  

It grieves me. 

This is not my vision for America. This is not the leadership I expect from our elected officials. 

If they really want to "make America great again," our leaders need to stop destroying the foundation.

And keep the lights on!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 1, 2020

1. The sixth month of the crazy year 2020 begins today. I am pretty sure no one saw all of this coming when the year started. 

2. Although the country is opening, the coronavirus has extracted an huge toll by claiming the lives of at least 103,000 Americans.

Eastern Black Swallowtail
Elkridge, MD
May 30, 2020

3. I saw one of my first butterflies of the season on Saturday, an eastern black swallowtail. It was flying in and around the grasses near my pool.

Robins Nest with 2 Eggs
Elkridge, MD
May 28, 2020

4. The robins are back and when last I saw the empty nest, there were two eggs in it. 

5. It was strangely cold this morning at 47 degrees! 

6. There is concern that the protests in over 100 U.S. cities demanding Justice for George, may cause a spike in COVID-19 cases. 

7. The past few afternoons have been great pool days. It appears that summertime weather has arrived! At least for a while. Well, until this morning arrived. 

8. There are at least three things that I wish we could return to China and never have to deal with again: coronavirus, stink bugs, and the emerald ash borer. 

9. Sometimes I feel as if our society is caught in a maze of choices that have no good outcome. Down one path is COVID-19, and down another is justifiable civil unrest, then there is a path to economic disaster, followed by trade wars, failed fiscal policies, and a crashing stock market. I'm not sure there is a path to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness left on the table.

10. Today in History. On June 1, 1980, CNN (Cable News Network), the world’s first 24-hour television news network, makes its debut. The network signed on at 6 p.m. EST from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a lead story about the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. 

CNN went on to change the notion that news could only be reported at fixed times throughout the day. At the time of CNN’s launch, TV news was dominated by three major networks–ABC, CBS and NBC–and their nightly 30-minute broadcasts. Initially available in less than two million U.S. homes, today CNN is seen in more than 90 million American households and over 160 million homes internationally.

Astronauts Dock With Space Station After Historic SpaceX Launch - The New York Times

As Protests and Violence Spill Over, Trump Shrinks Back - The New York Times

Twitter Had Been Drawing a Line for Months When Trump Crossed It - The New York Times

Rebounding U.S. Stocks Outpace Rest of World - The Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong leaders say Trump ‘completely wrong’ for curbing ties - OANN

Hundreds of protesters rally in London, Berlin over U.S. death - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

America has always been greatest when we dared to be great. We can reach for greatness again. We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and working in space for peaceful, economic, and scientific gain. Tonight, I am directing NASA to develop a permanently manned space station and to do it within a decade. 

From State of the Union Address (25 Jan 1984).

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD