Yet another one
Wonderful plants, orchids. One can see why some people go crazy about them.
Quote of the Day
“The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes — ah, that is where the art resides.”
- Artur Schnabel
Musical alternative to the morning’s radio news
Acker Bilk | Burgundy Street Blues
I’m still looking for the Boilermaker Jazz Band’s version. But this will do for the time being.
Long Read of the Day
What Will Come From This Indictment?
Dahlia Lithwick in Slate asking if this moment means (i) that the rule of law in the US is finally going to prevail over Trump, or (ii) if it has become irrelevant?
An intriguing and troubling essay.
We’ve officially reached peak Schrödinger’s coup. Democracy is either alive or dead inside that box, and everyone is too afraid to look inside and say which it is.
And this in turn puts us all in the unenviable position of having to reckon with two conflicting truths: Yes, the legal walls are closing in. And as they do so, for some the power of these legal walls is crumbling before our eyes. It’s blinding: The more criminal trouble Trump finds himself in, the more his political capital rises. The law may in fact be powerless in the face of that simple truth. I used to fret that politics would always, always outrun the law; that a Trump lie, or threat, or boast would make it twice around the world while the justice system was still just putting its socks on. But increasingly, I think we’re not even running the same course, or playing on the same field, or moving toward the same ends. The more the “rule of law” triumphs, the stronger the forces that hate the rule of law actually become.
And that, of course, is the endgame for the Trump team. “What I have been hearing from Republicans that I’ve spoken to is frustration, a growing frustration,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Fox News Sunday. “The trust in our Justice Department has been eroded, as well. These are core institutions in a democracy that must have the people’s trust. When you see things like this that have political overtones, it’s very frustrating for people.” His remarks are honestly tame compared to those of many of his fellow Republicans who are in Congress. They have made the unprecedented decision to attack the law itself…
My feeling is that in a polity dominated by two political parties, if one gives up on democracy then the game’s over. That has happened with the Republicans in the US. And they have lots of heavily armed fanatics to back them up. 2024 will be a decisive year, either way.
Worth your time.
My commonplace booklet
What sort of bicycle?
Nice sermonette from Seth Godin, about how we wind up using stuff that no longer makes sense.
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