Many of you don't bother keeping up with the news, and those that do only glance at the op-ed page of a newspaper. I will thus quickly summarize one that appeared Wednesday (by libertarian Megan McArdle, who curiously enough, works for The Washington Post) and the other on Thursday (by Ann McFeatters, a syndicated columnist, who must be liberal).
McArdle's--When will Trump supporters finally say, "Okay, this is not normal"?--starts with:
The left had an easy time settling on its attitude toward President Trump’s supporters: a mixture of horrified outrage and sneering contempt. For many of us on the right, though, it hasn’t been so easy. The president’s boosters aren’t our natural enemies; they’re former and hopefully future allies. For three years, we’ve been struggling to find some way to discuss Trump.
So, clearly, she is on the right in sympathy with Trump supporters. However, keep in mind that there are significant differences between libertarians and conservatives. But that's neither here nor there in this specific conversation.
The religious right clings to Trump because he promises to be on their side. McArdle? She has introduced the Trump Derangement Syndrome (honest, Wikipedia actually recognizes this attitude) to fit-in at cocktail parties.
More recently came Greenland, where that supposedly successful real estate baron did exactly what buyers don't do: announce their intention to the world. Then cancel a planned trip to Denmark because their Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea "absurd," which as rejections go, is fairly tame. Thus, his fragile vanity botched what might have been a good deal if he went about this right.
So McArdle adds:
This is not normal. And I don’t mean that as in, "Trump is violating the shibboleths of the Washington establishment." I mean that as in, "This is not normal for a functioning adult."
And finally:
The longer you humor people who have clearly gone off the rails, the more time they have to damage themselves and those around them. Moreover, the damage is usually fiercest to the people closest by — which in Trump’s case means the folks who have been standing loyally behind him for the past three years.
That was good humor. Ann McFeatters writes a fairly standard opinion piece summarizing the latest Trump aberrations, suggesting, now, the end of U.S. global leadership:
One photograph said it all. At the meeting in France of the world's seven richest democracies on climate change and the catastrophic fires in the Amazon, there was an empty chair. Donald Trump did not even show up.
Even as global anxiety about the Amazon ratcheted up, Trump ordered increasing logging in Alaska's own rainforest, the Tongass National Forest.
The empty chair in France was a snapshot of the official end of responsible American global leadership. Perhaps forever if Trump is reelected.
Further:
They found Trump's incomprehensible fondness for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin -- despite his invasion of Ukraine, illegal annexation of Crimea, downing of a Malaysian airliner and interference in U.S. elections -- to be dangerous.
(It must be re-emphasized that the former G-8 expelled Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Crimea. None of the other leaders wants to normalize relations with Russia. Only Trump is eager to invite the bear back around the campfire.)
Incredibly enough, yesterday Trump said he is considering blocking a quarter billion dollars of military aid to Ukraine.
What else?
China is using tear gas on Hong Kong citizens frightened of domination by Chinese communists. Armed soldiers are perched on city outskirts. There is no U.S. protest.
Saudi Arabia beheads an American journalist with no penalty.
American farmers and manufacturers face ruin. Consumers pay hundreds of dollars a year more in taxes because of Trump's tariffs.
Finally:
It takes a long time to get lost respect back. Sometimes, it never happens.
Oh, that's Ann McFeatters to the right.
Curbs on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas, to be Relaxed in U.S.
The rollback plan is particularly notable because major energy companies have, in fact, spoken out against it — joining automakers, electric utilities and other industrial giants that have opposed other administration initiatives to dismantle climate-change and environmental rules.
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Well, as predicted a few days ago, Hurricane Dorian will attain Category 4 status and crash into Florida on Monday. The landfall zone has shifted south from Vero Beach to just north of West Palm Beach:
However, weathermen have kept adjusting their predictions, and Dorian could well do just about anything, including stalling, reaching Super Hurricane status (more than 150 MPH), sneaking into the Gulf of Mexico, re-strengthening, and heading for New Orleans. Mind you, no one has even suggested this scenario yet, but here is a current graphic of potential:
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