Category: American Affairs

IF YOU’RE CALLING FOR REAL, JUST SAY SO

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

Here in the midst of presidential primary season, I’m especially grateful to have caller ID on our phone. Yes, the voice part can be amusing, “Call from Chick-O, Chee Eh,” for instance. That’s Chico, California. Nobody we know.

We don’t pick up on the Unknown Caller, either. If they won’t leave a voicemail, we won’t deal with them. Period. Same for Wireless or Cell Phone, which has become another way for candidates’ campaigns and polling services to try to get through to us again.

Having a registered number adds to the problem. As more and more people switch to cell phones, the phone book gets slimmer – even before the printer switched to the tiniest type in existence for the White Pages. So the pollsters are sampling a shrinking pool of the public, which means, well, the same folks again and again.

Hey, usually the folks we want to hear from are shooting us emails anyway. So when are you using the telephone these days? Or how? And then? Does texting count, too?

MORE THAN SNOW IN THE AIR, AT LAST

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Just as the first snowstorm of the season has finally hit New Hampshire, the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary is beginning to show some flickering flames. The kind that produce both heat and light. Up till now, it’s been only smoke, mostly on the Republican side. (The Democrats have been politely, though passionately, lined up behind Hillary or Bernie, recognizing the battle they’ll share together after the national convention.) The Granite State’s winnowing function has worked best when some unanticipated turn reveals a candidate’s true character for the public to see, either with devastating consequences for the campaign or its big breakthrough moment.

To be candid, I’m surprised we got through the autumn without seeing one or two of these. Yes, Trump came close when he attacked a St. Anselm college student as a “Bush plant” after she asked him a question, but the story never gained traction. The rest of the pack of candidates never picked up on the theme or any other, for that matter. The race to date has been pretty bland, all too predictable, little to set one apart from the other. Where’s the genuine courage or bold intelligence been? Talk all you want about the Trump-Carson-Fiorina outsider role, the pros in the lineup have been notable mostly in their failure to connect as seasoned campaigners rather than slick packaging alone. We’ll probably see some fascinating postmortems when it’s all over, but for now the scene’s been pretty befuddling.

We did awaken to an unexpected surprise November 28 when Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the state’s largest newspaper, endorsed Chris Christie. While the Union Leader and its New Hampshire Sunday News hold staunchly conservative editorial pages, there are Republicans in the state who insist these are liberal media. Ahem. True, McQuaid has often marched out of step with many of the state’s right-wing voters – anyone remember Malcom Forbes, for instance? – but you can assume Joe’s never, ever voted for a Democrat.

Yesterday morning, though, came the startling headline across the top of the front page: “Trump campaign insults NH voters’ intelligence,” an editorial by McQuaid noting Trump’s resemblance to bully “Biff” in the “Back to the Future” series. As McQuaid wrote, “Trump has shown himself to be a crude blowhard with no clear philosophy and no deeper understanding of the important and serious role of President of the United States than one of the goons he lets rough up protesters in his crowds.”

You get the idea.

And Trump’s response?

As this morning’s top of the front page headline announces, “Trump calls McQuaid ‘lowlife.'”

Of the many things you might accuse the publisher, “lowlife” is not one that springs to my mind, especially when coming from the lips of someone like Trump. The inaccurate retort carries the air of desperation – and flailing.

We’re still six weeks away from the voting booths, and Trump’s starting to show his central weakness. Am I wrong in seeing him as thin-skinned, someone who can’t take criticism or a well-aimed insult? Who can’t take what he routinely dishes out? Is this a wakeup call to his rivals to get their punches in, too, now that they see he’s not invincible? For that matter, what will their responses reveal about them?

Sure looks like it’s about to get interesting. Maybe even exciting. But first, I need to shovel some snow.

RIDING THROUGH REVERE AND SAUGUS

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Taking the bus to and from Boston for my choir’s caroling performances was far more civilized than trying to fight traffic and find parking. I should add that this is a commuter bus that makes only two stops before hitting Logan airport and then South Station. It’s clean, quiet, and comfortable, with free coffee and newspapers at the terminal. By the time you factor in tolls, gasoline, parking fees, and subway fares, it’s probably cheaper, too, at least for just one person.

Freed from driving and then sitting high above the auto traffic, I found myself observing much that’s normally out of sight, and for parts of the route, I’m afraid to report the cluttered landscape was rather dismal. For one thing, I was surprised by how much of the development in the suburbs we traversed was cleaved from rock. Nothing natural, much less harmonious – brute force, mostly. And then there was the jumble of retail boxes along busy highways, leading to the question of just who really patronizes the enterprises, much less whether there’s enough revenue to meet the bills. How many discount mattresses do Americans buy, anyway, or how many palm readings? A winter coat outlet I can understand, but, well, memory fails.

Perhaps if these were along pedestrian byways I’d be more sympathetic. Having to drive from one to another to browse or buy just eludes my understanding. For once, I’d even give Internet shopping the edge.

I also felt a pang in recalling a reply I made to a comment that remarked on the beauty of the town where I live. As I recall, I said that beauty can be cultivated anywhere, but that’s not what I was seeing along this route with its oil-tank farms, treeless suburban housing tracts, and construction machinery garages.

And then, to my amazement, as I looked down to the level below the overpass we were ascending, I saw a green park set gently on the earth. Here was a pocket of relief in spite of the noisy traffic overhead. Children from nearby houses could play, adults could stroll or sit. I’m still in awe of the designers who advanced this – and those who brought it to fruition.

Just thinking along the way. If you’re traveling over the holidays, here’s wishing you safe and comforting journeys. And keep an eye open for those unexpected beauties, too, wherever you land.

 

NOT EXACTLY BIGALOW?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

 

The more I listen, the more I perceive the Tea Party agenda is ultimately an attack on democracy in America. Unlike the Founding Fathers, they have no respect for the necessity of government.

And a position of no compromise is the essence of tyrannical dictatorship.

What’s left would be brutal and cruel. Especially, for many of them, without their Social Security, in the aftermath.

And they’re afraid of socialism as an attack on the nation and its values? Think again.

ARE YOU SAFER?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 4 Comments

That’s what the big red headline said on the large card we got in the mail. The headline was underscored by the line, “Are you safer now than you were just one year ago?”

Before answering, note that the lines were accompanied by a large photo of masked men waving Arabic flags from a parade of pickup trucks. No way to tell where the photo was taken, by the way – it could have been from the movement that toppled dictators across northern Africa for all we know.

The mailing, from the self-proclaimed Conservative Solutions Project, is attempting to restore excessive national security measures many conservatives successfully clamored to remove. And now? They want it back. Or some of them do. Or maybe a group of retired intelligence officers, now living in Florida, are trying to stir something up.

The text on the back includes the misleading statement, “Conservatives know that we can never preserve the American Dream if we can not first preserve our National Security.” No, that’s a pathway to dictatorship and its police-state terror. Wasn’t that what both Iraq wars were supposed to obliterate?

The American Dream rests on civil liberties and economic opportunity. That’s what needs to be protected, first and foremost.

What truly annoys me about this bombastic mailing is its blatant fear-mongering. I can answer that I don’t feel safer than I did a year ago, but it’s not because of the 2015 USA Freedom Act. It’s because too many nutty Americans are carrying guns they can obtain all too easily, and attempts to limit that keep getting rolled back. I’m concerned that some kid stealing quarters out of unlocked cars in our generally quiet neighborhood is going to get blasted away by a self-appointed vigilante walking his dog in the night. Or that the bullet will fly off to unintended mischief.

Look, I’m not against gun ownership – I’ve lived in rural areas where hunting puts food on the table. But let’s get real. How many of the 12,413 firearm deaths so far this year involve national security issues, anyway? How many of the 312 mass shooting incidents? How many of the 650 children and 2,452 teens killed? (These statistics do not include suicides — 21,175 in 2013). Talk all you want about radicalized Muslims, they’re not the big problem.

So, to the political groups, let’s just say this. Don’t play the “safer than a year ago” card unless you have some concrete proposals for dealing with rampant gun violence in this country. Something that makes sense without undermining our trust.

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES FOR GOOD LEADERSHIP?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 5 Comments

Comments on earlier posts regarding the emerging U.S. presidential race have touched on a topic that ought to be more sharply examined: just what qualities are needed in a good leader?

I’ve seen charts executive head-hunting firms use for corporate hires, which see different quality requirements to match a company’s situation. A small, fast-growing firm, for example, needs a much different kind of person than does a behemoth in a shrinking market. The compensation packages can vary widely, too, especially when considering the likely tenure of the hire. Somebody hired to shake things up might be expected to have a short and stormy span at the helm, unlike a more comforting presence for a smoothly functioning organization.

That said, back to political leadership. What qualities would you list as essential?

The ability to recognize talent and draw out others into a common cause has been suggested. Vision, compassion, intelligence, integrity, willingness to listen to critical perspectives and weight alternative actions are others. And then?

Maybe we’ve been overlooking the most obvious all along. What would you name?

A DARK CLOUD OVER THE HIGH-TECH ERA

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

Back in college, I encountered the argument that the more people were engaged in long-range planning, the less possible long-range planning became. In other words, as they put their assumptions into action, the entire field shifted.

Or, put another way, the fewer givens could be counted on ahead. That farm where you wanted to build a mall may already be a housing development or the interest rates may have soared out of sight or malls themselves may have given way to Amazon.

It was also all part of a recognition of the rapidly changing social world ahead, as we’re seeing in our high-tech era. Just where do people get together nowadays, anyway? As for dating?

Over the summer, I sat in on a workshop trying to look at some of the ethical issues we Quakers face in adapting to the use of Internet/social media in maintaining our faith communities, including the possibilities of online committee meetings rather than sitting down in one space together.

There are other issues the greater society faces, such as the rewiring of the human brain as a consequence of early-childhood online time or our “multitasking” activities. The ability to sit down and read complicated, nuanced long works is no doubt in jeopardy. As is, likely, the time for moral reflection. (Does that explain some of the latest developments in the presidential primary posturing?)

We didn’t get far in that direction, though, apart from looking at some of the pros and cons of our own Internet use. As an avid blogger and the author of ebooks, I had my own list.

The part I keep returning to, however, has to do with something at the core at what we’re using. Our screens, laptops, smart-phones, networks, and so on are all dependent on rare-earth elements, which – as their name reflects – are scarce commodities. Not just because they’re hard to find, either, but because they occur in low concentrations where they exist. It’s ecologically costly to extract them. Add to that, they’re mostly found in China – and the known sources are running out. (As the saying goes, the Mideast has oil, China has the rare earth supply.)

Remember, too, high-tech equipment is obsolete the day it’s produced – the next generation is already on the way.

Now you can add this to my neo-Luddite concerns.

I’ve long harbored suspicions about who’s paying for all of our “free” online usage. (Well, Firefox and Wikipedia are now pleading for donations after spoiling us into getting used to having something for nothing. I’ll assume most folks won’t contribute until they have to. Leave the voluntary donations to others.)

I remember the joys of hitchhiking, as well as how quickly it all ceased.

So here we are, all the same. Let’s see what’s around the corner.

CREDIBLE CREDIT?

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

I’ve long been perplexed by some banks’ claims about credit-card business, especially after seeing their approaches to gullible college students and rates that can approach 20 percent a year if you’re not careful or get in a jam.

Those of you who have older kids or grandkids can share those worries.

That’s even before wondering about the vice presidents or higher-up executives who approve what seem to be high-risk strategies – and then come to the public for relief. You know, handouts, 20 percent annual rates, and protection from bankruptcy filings by average people. Or should we say Real People unlike the corporations?

A recent experience of trying to close an account with one of them was especially trying. In the end, I’m not sure who closed whom except that the clock was still ticking on the interest – on the consumer, of course.

And then less than a month later, I’m getting solicitations to open another account with them – “We’ve matched you with this exclusive offer,” as one proclaims.

No thanks. And by the way, the same day’s mail included one that would give me money back on the transactions. It’s not 20 percent, but it’s in my direction.

From my perspective, that one has some credibility.

Gee, and we haven’t even touched on the retailers’ complaints here. Let’s just say they have my sympathy.

 

 

A CALVINIST VIEW

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

100_0188Thanksgiving raises thoughts of New England Puritans, even though they differed in many ways from their fellow Calvinists, the Pilgrims – the ones who celebrated that first round of feasting.

Here is Sir Richard Saltonstall (1586-1661), a Puritan who founded Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1630 before his return to England.