April 30, 2021

The only dog we ever had: our Dalmation, Meson.

She was my third daughter.

April 27, 2021

Full Moon Tonight

April 25, 2021

The Washington Post: Why this conservative (Gary Abernathy)supports reparations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/04/22/why-i-support-reparations-all-conservatives-should/?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_ideas

~snip~

Like most conservatives, I’ve scoffed at the idea of reparations or a formal apology for slavery. I did not own slaves, so why would I support my government using my tax dollars for reparations or issuing an apology? Further, no one in the United States has been legally enslaved since 1865, so why are Black people today owed anything more than the same freedoms and opportunities that I enjoy?

I remain unconvinced that an apology would have much real value, but the more substantive notion of reparations is worth discussing. In fact, it could be argued that the idea fits within the conservative philosophy. We’ll come back to that. But it is undeniable that White people have disproportionately benefitted from both the labor and the legacy of slavery, and — crucially — will continue to do so for generations to come.

When slavery was abolished after a bloody civil war, African Americans were dispersed into a world that was overtly hostile to them. Reconstruction efforts were bitterly resisted by most Southern Whites, and attempts to educate and employ former slaves happened only in fits and starts. The government even reneged on its “40 acres and a mule” pledge. After slavery, prejudice and indifference continued to fuel social and economic disparity.

The result is unsurprising. As noted by scholars A. Kirsten Mullen and William A. Darity Jr., co-authors of “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century,” data from the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances showed that median Black household net worth averaged $17,600 — a little more than one-tenth of median White net worth. As Mullen and Darity write, “white parents, on average, can provide their children with wealth-related intergenerational advantages to a far greater degree than black parents. When parents offer gifts to help children buy a home, avoid student debt, or start a business, those children are more able to retain and build on their wealth over their own lifetimes.”

~snip~

The whole op-ed at the link.

April 23, 2021

And now for something completely different: A mountain on film, from long ago!

Mount Rainier

April 15, 2021

The Scythe of Life

April 12, 2021

A Moment of Happiness...Tourmaline

April 11, 2021

Mt. Rainier from the air

April 11, 2021

This link takes you to the website for Bird Photographer of the Year 2021.

The photos are phenomenal! I enjoyed them hugely and I hope all of you do too.

https://www.birdpoty.com/news/bpoty2021-finalists?mc_cid=f2126bf797&mc_eid=eed0dc73c7

On edit: I'm so glad you're all enjoying these!

April 7, 2021

NY Times columnist Frank Bruni on Mitch McConnell:

~snip~

Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the Senate, has pledged to fight Biden’s infrastructure package “every step of the way,” as a sudden defender of fiscal discipline. I say “sudden” because his attachment to it over the past few years, before Biden took office, was as steady as a Slinky.

He was perfectly happy to run up the federal debt to stay in good with President Donald Trump, who wanted tax cuts and more gleaming military hardware. Now? We mustn’t leave crippling bills to our children and grandchildren! How horridly gluttonous! How downright immoral!

How utterly laughable. The truth about most politicians and spending is that they’re for it if the outlays bolster their electoral fortunes and against it if the other side may have more to gain. They’re not in thrall to some fixed economic ideology. They’re bound to partisan rivalries and enamored of ideological fashions of the moment.

~snip~

I have not been able to find a link to this column. It comes to me as an email.

A working link is in Post #5!

I read his column every week and he is always worth reading. This one is especially good.