Every teacher of literature from eighth grade on who taught me about Shakespeare, taught me his principle of Nature and the world. One even went so far as to dig thru weather records and match them to events in the world at the time. Did Nature affect the world of Man or did Man affect the strange events of Nature? It led to good discussions and in our present times, what with the very strange weather patterns and events we have been seeing and the strange current events and situations and conditions of the world, perhaps we need to explore that issue again. Oh for Professor Boughner one more time!
As I sit looking at my computer screen and listening to the thunder and the pouring rain, seeing the flash of the lightning, and remembering last night's crazy drive? boat trip? down the Turnpike I wonder as well. What influences what? Are we the causal factor or the receptive factor? Does it make a difference in the end?
Weather is weather, yes, and if one looks into history there were times that even for years the weather settled into patterns that greatly affected man and man had done nothing to create that weather. The freezing winters and the prolonged droughts. Read the history of the British Isles and understand. Look into European history and see the same thing. Man had no cars, no planes and the only polluting of the atmosphere came from the coal and peat burning for warmth and cooking and the wood fires as well, but unless it was concentrated in an area such as London, it was not enough to affect the weather so what do we say about our times?
Man certainly can affect the weather patterns by excesses, yes, but perhaps we are in for another cycle of the weather, a natural occurrence throughout the recorded millennia. Tornados where they never were, flooding and excess rain, lack of rain and snow cover, plant habitats changing and moving and so what do we do to plan for the future?
Well, we can become home farmers like my Farmer Roni up there on Long Island, but seriously, it is something that must be investigated and planned for. We must think carefully about what we are doing and what we must do. But most of us roll merrily along, denying the facts in front of us - as we do with most everything else in our lives unless it suits us to pay attention.
Be it a struggle, an inner struggle , to define the path of Orthodoxy amongst Jews (bet you did not know that was happening, did you?) or a struggle to finally get things going properly amongst the people of our nation, an election war, and I use that word purposely - we must pay attention to the words and actions of the candidates and of those who are their backers. The weather, the thunder and lightning is telling us so and do we need one to strike us on our heads before we pay attention?
So Trump goes to an interview on TV with the very woman broadcaster he insulted, truly nasty insults along with Attitude. He thinks he apologizes when he says that maybe he should have stated some remarks in other ways, but what the hey! I got attention and votes and was successful so what I said was right! Huh!!! This is what so many people voted for? This is what they want? The Whatever Works policies of a fascist, of people who lie for breakfast if it will serve their purpose? Is this what is in our future? If so, expect stormy weather, folks!
And what about Sanders, he of the liberal bent, the man of the people, the only one who truly cares for them - or so he likes to portray himself. His supporters did not like Nevada results so what to do? Try harder in another state? Recognize that they were defeated here and move on, the nature of the game? Nope. They turned to violence and his reaction - well, it gets his policies attention so maybe they will be incorporated into the platform planks. So in other words, let it rip! Really? This is the liberal who is "inspiring" the young? G-d help us all.
And then we have Clinton and especially the whole email issue, a tempest in a teapot. First of all, it seems to me that no matter what our government does our most secure sites are just not secure so who should we nail to the cross for that negligence? And what was sent? Thousands of emails - unclassified at the time and even when reclassifying - and how and why does that happen anyway - only found out of the thousands sent approximately 200+ that could possibly have been classified in some category but people, when Al Jazeera publishes the very same information before the email, how is that secret or confidential? Yes, it was careless, but yes, it was also a practice in the government for years!!
Do we need to install better security and procedures. Of course. I am always pushing process and procedure - even here in CV - and maintain that our lack of it here in CV is the main reason for much of our messes. But then again, the lacks found in our federal government related to that have come here along with their booster, have they not??
In any case, Hillary Clinton said she is willing and ready to sit down for an interview with the FBI so why the dragging it out and an FBI investigation and a Congressional investigation? All the better to waste our money and garner airtime. All the better for the Republicans to change the focus from their pathetic and dangerous candidate onto other issues. All the better to try to hide the fact that the Republicans have lost their principles and all their screaming that we must do something about Trump has now deteriorated into little whimpers of oh, we must support the Party, we must support him no matter that he makes us vomit, no matter how bad he will be for the country. The Party! The Party! Is this the American tradition? Perhaps we need to continue that tradition and found a new party, something that has been done throughout our history but have we the courage to do that? I dunno, perhaps we do need that strike of lightning on our collective heads to wake us up. The weather is even being cooperative in this matter by turning nuts and just waiting to give us that strike.
Well, at least the United Methodist Church finally did the right thing and voted not to support an anti Semitic organization that chooses to defame and destroy Israel and support terrorists and the Mayo Clinic has recognized the advances of Israel and its start up companies, especially in the medical field and will have a joint venture initiative with them.
Remember when we were kids and loved to stomp in puddles and splash ourselves muddy up to our necks? Remember how we would run with our tongues out to catch the drops of rain? Where is that joy in Nature now? And where is the innocence of those times? Gone somewhere, but can we bring it back? Do we have a chance? Only if we try, only if we try.
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