Almost every day, the Trump administration does something that pleases the Kremlin (and dismays the Ukrainians). I harp on this. Then again, I can think of little else so worth the harping.
“Trump Administration Halts Funding for Key Ukraine Security Programs.” That article is here. “U.S. Pushes to Restore Russian Gas Sales to Europe via Ukraine.” That one is here.
“Make America great again,” goes a slogan. Yeah, how about it?
***
In Midtown Manhattan, I encountered a clock I hadn’t seen in a while—this one:
Tick-tock, y’all. Just because no one cares, doesn’t mean it’s not important—importantissimo.
***
Back to Ukraine and Russia for a moment. This report by Simon Ostrovsky is hard to read (or so I found). The instinct to avert one’s eyes is natural and non-damnable. But …
“Elon Musk Slowed Starlink. Then a Russian Drone Killed Six Ukrainians.”
***
Such an interesting man, Judge Hellerstein. “Alvin K. Hellerstein, Federal Judge Who Oversaw Maduro Case, Dies at 92.” That obit is here. I would like to paste an excerpt, then recount a familiar story:
A deeply religious Orthodox Jew from the Bronx, the judge was known to hold sentencings on Fridays so he could reflect on his decisions over the Sabbath. Hanging on the wall in his chambers was a Hebrew scripture that read, “Justice, justice, shalt thou pursue.”
You all know the story of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., to whom another great judge, Learned Hand, called out, “Do justice, sir!” Holmes replied, “That is not my job. It is my job to apply the law.”
We hope that the law is just—and that it leads to justice.
In that obit, Judge Hellerstein is quoted as follows: “There’s no such thing as purity in judgment. Without facts and context, judgment becomes abstract — you lose out on the passion of judging. Justice does not require absolute purity, but a check on bias.”
Sounds reasonable to me.
***
I would like to recommend an article. It is one of the most moving I have read in quite some time. Its title: “I Thought I’d Left Authoritarianism Behind.” Its subtitle: “Four decades ago, I escaped Communist Czechoslovakia for America. Now my adopted homeland reminds me of the one that I fled.”
The author is V. Patrick Poch, who works as an architect at the State Department. Is he working there still, now that this article has been published? I would not bet on it.
There is a great deal to say about the article—it was incredibly moving to learn about the author’s father—but I will simply leave you to read it, when you have the time. I have shared this article with two Czech-American friends. To them, it was all familiar.
***
Sometime in the late 2010s, I started hearing about right-wing extremism among college students and other young people. I was skeptical. (A) I had never seen any such extremism in my own youth. (I saw extremism on the other side.) (B) We Reagan-Thatcher types were routinely called “fascists,” “racists,” and “Nazis.” I was conditioned to false charges.
But I heard about the new extremism from conservative interns and junior staffers (genuinely conservative ones, I mean). They should have known. And they did. I did not.
I do now.
Articles such as this have become dog-bites-man. Yet another congressional staffer, found to have posted vile stuff online. These types have infiltrated Congress and the executive branch. I have personal acquaintance with a few of them.
We will be living with this a long time. Young illiberal rightists today will be at it for decades.
I hope the conservatives and the liberals stay strong, against the illiberals on either end (who are really comrades).
(In truth, the conservatives and the liberals are comrades too, given that they all support our constitutional order, the democracy we have known.)
***
Feel like some music? Here is a review of Medea, Cherubini’s opera, at the Met.
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On Sunday was the New York City Marathon. It is an energetic, colorful event. This, from the New York Times, was delightful, I thought: “13 Unforgettable Looks from the New York City Marathon.” A phrase occurs to me: “salutary weirdness.”
For example, newlyweds from Germany ran in their wedding outfits: he in his suit, she in her gown.
I like weirdness, within limits—or you could call it individuality.
***
Out on a pier over the Hudson River, there was a dog leashed to a stroller. He was looking intently at his “humans”: a mother and her barely toddling daughter, who were about seven yards off. I smiled. The mother said, “A patient, longsuffering dog.” I said, “This scene is straight out of Norman Rockwell.” She chuckled with appreciation.
***
Care for some Halloween, even though that’s in the rearview mirror? My block is a hot block for Halloween—lots of decorating and trick-or-treating. Here are some shots of “the calm before the storm.” These are from Halloween afternoon, about 3:30:
Then the party began. How about the imagination of this guy?
A joyful spirit at my building’s entrance:
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Thank you so much for reading, subscribing, corresponding … Means a lot to lil’ ol’ me. I am not a politician, though sometimes I have flights of fancy. (Fewer than before.) I don’t have a “closing message,” but if I did, it would go something like this:
“My fellow Americans: Say no to Putin. Say no to our betrayal of Ukraine. Say no to corruption, to lawlessness, to indecency. To Caesarism. To a daily torrent of lies. In short, make America great again.”
Best wishes for a peaceful day, Mr. Nordlinger.