Sent January 8, 2021: First, the Good News...

 

January 8, 2021 FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS... WANT TO GET BAUMblog AS AN EMAIL IN YOUR INBOX? CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE.

Let us pause for a moment to savor what happened in Georgia. Very soon a Black preacher and a Jew will be walking into the Senate to represent that peach of a state, Georgia. Raphael Warnock is the first Black elected to the Senate by the voters of a former Confederate state. Jon Ossof is the first Jewish Senator elected by a Southern state since 1879. Warnock has been working on social justice issues as a pastor for his entire career as a minister. Ossof was an intern in the office of the great Congressman John Lewis. He is 33 years old, the youngest person elected to the Senate since Joe Biden in 1973. Warnock's opponent, Kelly Loeffler, is half-owner of the WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream. Because of Loeffler's racist remarks, many team members campaigned against her...

...And they're now demanding that she sell her share of the team. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, "Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mister Republican?" I just love the expression on those women's faces. Usually people are SMILING when they're posing for a photo to show their support of a candidate. But these women mean SERIOUS BUSINESS. They are risking their careers by wearing those t-shirts. The WNBA has been out in front, leading other professional athletes to become politically outspoken, to use their public platform to fight for change. I don't really have any bad news I want to talk about. But I just want to say that it is ridiculous to expect Vice-President Pence to lead in ousting his boss through the 25th Amendment. Not only is it not Pence's style or character or politics. But he would become a marked man. For the rest of his life, he would live in fear of the Trump crazies looking to take him out. I don't think you can ask/expect/push someone to put himself in that position. He might already be marked by refusing to do the impossible for Trump. You cannot ask him to go further. And besides, the ONLY way to keep Trump from running for President in 2024 is to impeach him now and forbid him all future federal office. Really, don't you think it's worth it to eliminate that possibility, that PROBABILITY? Even if he's leaving the White House soon and it would be a distraction at the beginning of Biden's Presidency. We need to drive a stake through this vampire's heart. And now for a couple of holiday photos: First is Elizabeth and me on Christmas Day. Elizabeth said that Icelanders eat chocolate and read poetry aloud on Christmas, so we decided to do that. I regret that I look like I'm eating a turd.

A good time was had by all. People should read poetry aloud more often. Even if I don't understand a whole poem, there's almost always at least one line that evokes something in me. And on New Year's Eve day, we climbed to the top of Twin Peaks, the highest point in San Francisco. It was clear and we could see Mt. Diablo, 60 miles away. I love the wonderful graffiti combined with the view.

Well, Bloggelinis, we were all wiped out BEFORE the insurrection. I watched it with friends, all of us alone in our apartments, on Zoom. I felt like I was having a party -- since I was Zoom host. And then it started getting scary. Jerry said it was GOOD that the shit was finally hitting the fan. I said, "From your lips to God's ear." It does seem like he's right. So sad it had to come to this. But there it is. Love to you all. Terry