Where We Are This Week 03/24/23
Vivek, French unrest, Dutch farmers, and the will he, won't he, please don't he of Donald Trump's arrest.
If you were to ask me some time ago whether or not I was feeling optimistic about the future, I’d say that’s a loaded question. Ever since I was a moody teenager, it’s been easy for me to slip into a dejected cynicism about the world.
But that’s the cheap and easy way out of the question, isn’t it? It’s a lot cooler to be jaded than it is to be a cockeyed optimist. And if you were to continue to prod, I’d be more likely to admit to the former rather than the latter. But my actions reveal otherwise.
Amidst all the uncertainty of the world, my wife and I had a child. That act has to be the singular most optimistic thing a human can do. Bringing new life into the world signifies a belief that not only what we’re toiling with here on earth will continue, but that it’s worth it. It epitomizes hope.
Things very well may get worse before they improve. Of that, I’m almost certain. But rooted in that expectation is the belief, the hope, that we possess the ability to emerge from whatever cataclysm lies ahead stronger, fitter, and happier.
To live without hope would be to betray my wife and child - and my fellow man. These days, I’d rather live in naive belief than contempt. So, if I appear to slip into that old cynicism occasionally, it’s only because I know - I hope - we can do better.
A Word On Vivek
The 2024 Presidential race is only just getting started. The ring currently has a few hats strewn onto the canvas but, undoubtedly, they’ll pile up over time. One of the first to declare his candidacy was Vivek Ramaswamy.
I hadn’t known almost anything about Vivek until my dad bought me a copy of his book, Woke, Inc. a couple of years ago. I would strongly recommend reading it as it details the perilous - to us - union of corporation and government under which we’re currently living.
While Republican camps will certainly get bogged down bickering over who is fit to lead the party - Trump or DeSantis; I expect Vivek to remain above the fray. Not because his quality of character is estimable - though I suspect it may be - but because he promises a path forward for Americans.
This is not an endorsement, only a suggestion. Vivek’s appearance on the Jordan Peterson Podcast is very much worth listening to; the topics range from the biblical, the philosophical, and the pragmatic.
As the 2024 election looms in the distance, keep this in mind. In the era of long-form media, no candidate is worth your support if they aren’t willing to subject themselves to an unscripted, protracted exploration of their beliefs. It’s a good start.
The Fabulous Arrest of Donald Trump
Bookkeeping? We talkin’ ‘bout bookkeeping?
Former president Donald Trump has claimed his indictment is imminent. The rest of us are on pins and needles while we await what will certainly be the most magnificent, hugest arrest any of us have seen. Will it happen today? Tomorrow? Next week? Whatever day it eventually happens, it will be a sad day - the SADDEST - in America’s history.
First, I’d like to make a direct appeal to the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg. Please, don’t. Don’t make Trump a martyr. For the well-being and future of the nation - and the poor souls of MAGA country - please, let us move on from Donald Trump.
The man is a political black hole. For the better part of the last decade his colossal mass has lured the national conversation directly into his sprawling event horizon. And just like that spacetime anomaly, once something has entered it, nothing tends to escape.
Already, the strength of his 2024 opposition is being judged by their statements - or lack thereof - on his impending indictment. Vivek Ramaswamy came out strong against the actions of the New York DA - which received a warm endorsement from the Trump campaign - ooh la la. Which, unfortunately for Vivek, from the outside observer, hitches his wagon to the Trump campaign for the time being, and it’s not obvious to me that was his intent.
So far, mum’s the word from Nikki Haley. Ron DeSantis broke his silence after a couple of days of quiet contemplation with a lackluster, middle-of-the-road statement; he criticized the behaviors of the New York official and Trump’s dalliance with a pornstar - impressive! To which the former president responded by intimating that DeSantis - DeSanctimonious - was a gay pedophile. Based on the results of the 2016 campaign, who do you think won this exchange?
One of the problems with Trump is how often he’s right - not the hints about DeSantis, I have no clue. His assertions that Russia-gate was a hoax and a deliberate scheme to cause him ruin were entirely correct. For years, we endured the claims that the president was a Russian asset only to find out that the core documents supporting such accusations were fraudulent. The media coverage of Trump was - and continues to be - heavily biased against him - see the “good people on both sides” charade.
Let’s not forget either that what is being adjudicated is a bookkeeping charge - in a case, I might add, that will experiment an untested legal theory on a former president and current presidential candidate. From a neutral perspective, the charges look tenuous at best, and politically motivated at worst.
My estimation is that the Republican nomination still runs through the orange man - who’s looking browner than ever. Since Trump, the GOP operates like the Stalin regime, whoever stops applauding first is immediately dispatched.
Relative to his competition, as this saga continues, Trump’s polling numbers continue to grow as DeSantis’ - who will arguably be his top challenger - begin to wane. It’s early days, yes, but guess who is also benefiting from the turmoil on the right side of the aisle?
President Biden. If Trump secures the Republican nomination - an image of him in handcuffs all but seals the deal - then the Democrats will gleefully try their hand with Biden and a repeat of 2020. Democrats will feel much more comfortable running the incumbent despite his age and his plummeting approval ratings against a candidate he swept the floor with a couple years ago.
But while we’re on the subject of prosecuting former presidents. Can we start with the administration that was responsible for this catastrophe?
Or the drone strike that killed 12 Yemenis at a wedding during the Obama era? Or how about Biden’s drone strike that killed mostly children after the Afghanistan withdrawal? To my knowledge, no arrests or resignations have come as a result of these colossal failures. But maybe I’m asking for too much.
But if prosecutions didn’t occur after Obama admitted that “we tortured some folks”, do you you think we could let Trump off the hook for this one? These attacks reify Trump’s half-deluded depiction of himself as a persecuted messianic figure of the right. So, can we not put him up on a cross just yet?
Vive la France
Ahem. I have a deep and abiding admiration for the French. I love the language, the food, the culture, etc. I just finished watching this year’s Paris-Nice ( a bicycle race ) and I can hardly get through a stage without waxing poetic to my wife about how we should move to southern France and open a bed and breakfast. If you think that was insufferable, try living with me during le Tour.
But in fairness, my love goes beyond the wines of Bordeaux, the soufflés, and the Pyrénées; I have the utmost respect - bordering on jealousy - for the rich history of protest they’ve cultivated over the last couple hundred years.
Maybe it’s because the French overthrew a monarchy - multiple times - within their own borders and established a democracy - rather than ease into one as one does a hot tub like the Brits did - but they just love a protest. No one knows that better than the current president, Emmanuel Macron.
Macron first endured his first bout of serious anti-government demonstrations during the ‘yellow vest movement’ of 2018 and 2019. The movement itself hasn’t died down but the protests themselves subsided during the pandemic. Macron's strict lockdown measures during the height of the Covid-19 season were met with giant protests in the streets and public spaces.
To summarize the past few years, large swathes of the French public have expressed their discontent with the authorities en masse regarding everything from wages, fuel prices, NATO involvement, vaccine mandates, and most recently, pension reform.
Macron is attempting to undemocratically raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64. Trade unions have organized dissenting demonstrations across the nation to show their vehement objection. Members of Parliament brought forth a vote of no-confidence against Macron - a tool the United States should really consider adopting - that he just barely survived.
No matter, the people have taken matters into their own hands. The country is on the verge of a general strike while clashes between protesters and the police have become increasingly contentious - some violent. Because of the multi-party system in France, Macron was able to retain his presidency last year with less than 30% of the popular vote so to say his authority is on shaky ground is not an understatement.
Maybe it’s because the French have a history of revolution, maybe it’s because they experienced fascism firsthand, or maybe it’s because they routinely eat outside during the winter; the people aren’t waiting around for things to worsen to make their voices heard. It was the American Revolution that inspired the French revolt in 1789. Perhaps, now, Americans can draw a little inspiration from our brothers and sisters across the Atlantic.
Whether or not the great nation is on the verge of ousting its petit dictateur or something much larger, it’s a poignant reminder that the people do indeed have the power. Bon courage, mes amis.
Dutch Farmers
I have a deep and abiding admiration for the Dutch. I’m only joking - just checking to see if you’re paying attention.
Regardless of how I feel about the Dutch - they’re great at sporting events - their farmers are demanding our respect. These two stories are closely linked. Many of the same constrictions placed upon the working class of France are driving the grassroots movement to their north.
While Macron and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, adhere to the European Union’s climate guidelines, both nations’ farmers are being severely impacted. Over the course of the last several years, French farmers have driven their tractors to Paris to dump manure on the steps of the capitol building. Dissent is contagious.
The Farmers Citizen Movement (BBB) is fast becoming the most influential party in the northwestern European country. Its rise to prominence is a direct response from the people to their government’s intentions.
Recently, in an effort targeted at halving nitrogen emissions - in a country about the size of Maryland - the Dutch government announced that they will be closing up to 3000 privately owned farms. The government had previously demanded that farms cut emissions by 70%, to which the farmers complied, and now, it’s making a stronger imposition.
Originally, the buyouts were intended to be on a 'voluntary’ basis. However, it was understood that once the farmers’ licenses expired, they would not be renewed, therefore making the sale of their farms all but compulsory in name. Essentially, the authorities are planning on seizing the farmland of whomever they deem a ‘peak polluter’, giving the owners no opportunity to test the open market for their land.
The Netherlands is responsible for the second most agricultural exports in the entire world, and as such, the industry represents a vital piece of the Dutch economy. As of now, the government has offered no plans to ameliorate the forthcoming loss in production.
Local elections took place nationwide this past week, and what transpired was nothing short of a referendum on the authoritarian policies of the current administration. Farmers took to the streets with their machinery, blocking roads and critical infrastructure in a poignant display.
The elections were a huge success for the Citizen Farmers Movement, it has become the largest single bloc in Dutch parliament. There is still work to be done, and coalitions to be formed, but it is a massive victory nonetheless. This is what can happen when people unite; when they don’t sit idly by. This is what can happen when we have hope.
“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus
To a better next week.
Cheers,
~FDA
Great article, I have been following the farmers in France but I had not heard they have had some wins. That’s awesome. Funny how the beginning of America was born out of protesters with the desire to be an individual, with individual choices. Yet now we swim like minnows in a creek.