Hiking on snow-covered trails – Difficulties of entering and leaving Washington DC until after the inauguration – The claims of “the 75 million” given priority over 81 million – The consummate ignorance of Tommy Tuberville – The willful stupidity of Marjorie Taylor Greene – The disdain for the law of Lauren Boebert – Evening statistics
I met with AD and RH to hike in Shenandoah National Park, although the original planned hike could not be attempted. The park was closed on account of the rainfall yesterday, which coated Skyline Drive with ice. Instead we went on the Pass Mountain Trail, whose trailhead lies outside of the entrance to Skyline Drive itself. The hike was quite simple, taking the trail up to the Appalachian Trail, turning north to go up to Beahm’s Gap, and then returning by the same route: about 10 miles and 2300 feet of elevation gain. As we went up the Pass Mountain Trail a surprise awaited us. There was a light coating of snow on the ground in the higher elevations, barely 1/4” deep. Some of the branches and twigs displayed little ice needles. A covering of snow, even when it is as little as this one, brightens up the scene wonderfully, especially when the arrival to it is accompanied by a parting of the clouds to display the sunlight. We paused at the overlook about a mile from Beahm’s Gap to take in the view. In the past, when the Wanderbirds have hiked in this area, we tended to go past it without stopping (it is slightly hidden from the Appalachian Trail itself), but it is well worth looking at. In the current instance, the view of the valley was highlighted by the clouds gathered on the top of the mountains contrasting with the clarity of the vista below them. Afterwards we snacked and drank together, as our club has done on hikes in the past when we all rode together on our chartered bus. The sun had gone in by the time we returned and we experienced a light snowfall after we returned to the parking area. It melted directly upon hitting the road, and during the drive downwards to lower elevations it ceased altogether. We had a wonderful time, and I appreciated it all the more after the conversation with my British friend yesterday, from whom I learned that hikes with even a small group like ours (five of us in all) are forbidden in the U.K. for the time being.
We are planning to meet again tomorrow at the American Chestnut Land Trust. One friend who wishes to join us lives in DC, and she says that it is possible that traffic restrictions pending the inauguration may prevent her. “If I don’t show up,” she wrote, “it will probably mean I’m stymied by road/bridge closures, so don’t wait.” This inauguration will resemble the transition of government in a third-world country, with insurgents prowling the streets, police stationed on nearly every corner to forestall them, and ordinary residents barring their windows and sheltering themselves apprehensively inside. This is the harvest of the seed that Trump has sown.
Trump’s supporters are continually urging the claims of “the 75 million,” i.e., the estimated number of votes he received. Why, yes – that is what an election means. In any election, a large number of people will be disappointed by the defeat of their favored candidate because an even larger number voted for his rival. Joe Biden won 81 million votes, but this aspect of the matter is never mentioned by Trump’s adherents.
In fact, at this stage a number of Republican lawmakers appear to be thoroughly ignorant of the Constitution that they have sworn to uphold. For instance, there is Representative Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. He proposed to make the inauguration safer by postponing it for a few weeks. Setting aside the argument that the last thing this nation needs is a prolongment of a transition that has been an excuse for frenzied demonstrations all over the country, Tuberville’s proposition happens to be illegal. The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, explicitly specifies the inauguration date as January 20th, and it would require yet another ratified Amendment to alter it. The inauguration date cannot be moved on a whim, as he appears to think. Then again, what else is to be expected from a man who believes that the three branches of government are “the House, the Senate, and the executive”?
A equal degree of ignorance was displayed by Marjorie Taylor Greene, from Georgia, a rookie representative, who has vowed that her first act as a legislator will be to set up a motion to impeach Biden on January 21st, the first full day that he assumes office. She appears to be – no, scratch that – she is completely oblivious to the fact that a motion of impeachment must cite a specific action on the part of the accused party. Even if Biden were to prove as corrupt and destructive as Donald Trump himself (which would be rather a difficult feat to attain), the sole fault that he has committed at this point is to hold political viewpoints that differ from her own.
Breaking the law would not exactly be a novelty either for yet another Republican representative, Lauren Boebert, from Colorado. She enters the House with credentials that include a sizeable rap sheet. She is a gun enthusiast and she carries her guns directly into the Capitol, despite rebukes from the local law enforcement (why these weapons are not simply confiscated from her is anyone’s guess). Boebert has undergone a somewhat unusual courtship from her husband (who himself has had brushes with the law, including one for indecent exposure). Jayson Boebert was booked on a charge of domestic violence in 2004, when he was accused of physically manhandling her and served seven days in jail. She certainly is not one to submit tamely to such treatment: after his release she had another altercation during which she scratched his face and chest, and trashed his apartment as well, resulting in her being charged with third-degree assault, criminal mischief, and underage drinking charges. The two were obviously soulmates, rejoicing in a common love of brutality and disregard of the law, and they married in 2005. In September 2010, Boebert was arrested when her two pit bulls attacked a neighbor’s dog. In June 2015, Boebert was handcuffed for disorderly conduct at a Country Music festival, after she attempted to interfere in the arrest of minors busted for underage drinking and encouraged the accused to run off. In September 2016, Boebert was charged with careless driving and operating an unsafe vehicle after rolling her truck into a ditch. Boebert certainly has had extensive experience with our nation’s legal system, although it is not of a nature that most people would wish to see in their public representative.
I never thought that I would end up saying this, but If the Democrats are looking for a label that will distinguish them from their rival faction, I take leave to suggest they designate themselves as “the law-abiding party” or perhaps, more simply, “the sane party.”
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 94,925,804; # of deaths worldwide: 2,029,648; # of cases U.S.: 24,305,829; # of deaths; U.S.: 405,254.
I believe that you’re correct about this.