Trump squabbles about the election – Biden’s restraint – Hiking along the Potomac and through Loudoun County – Evening statistics
This election promised to be one of the most tumultuous our nation has ever seen, and it is living up to its promise. At this point Biden has 264 electoral votes and Trump has 214. A few states have not yet finalized their voting tallies; any one of these, if its voters decide in favor of Biden, could increase his total of electoral votes to 270 at a minimum, just the amount needed for him to declare victory. As a matter of course, Trump declared victory for himself last night, with barely half of the confirmed electoral votes he needs to win, and has already initiated several lawsuits to inhibit tallying of the mail-in ballots. The states, happily, are energetically resisting all attempts at intimidation. The situation is complicated by the fact that, as a result of the precautions many have taken against the COVID tests, the number of mail-in ballots for this election is the largest by far in the nation’s history. A veritable army of lawyers on both sides have been marshalled in readiness to litigate about the election’s results, and the outcome may not be resolved for weeks. It is even possible that the election results will have to be referred to the Supreme Court. Our system must repose some reliance on this judicial authority, and yet the trust in such a matter is so woefully misplaced. A court containing three judges who are Trump nominees can hardly be impartial.
Biden has been temperate and sensible, refusing to be goaded by Trump’s provocations. He has refrained from declaring victory until he obtains a confirmed majority of electoral college votes, has reiterated the right of voters who used the mail-in option to have their votes counted, and has expressed quiet confidence that he will eventually prevail. Already, a bare 24 hours since the closing of the polls, he has demonstrated that he greatly excels his competitor in leadership abilities.
In the meantime I fled yet again from the turmoil of the election and spent the day hiking with RS to explore how to set up a route from the Potomac to the Occoquan. We started from Harper’s Ferry at 7:00 AM, taking the Appalachian Trail to the Loudoun Height Trail, bushwhacked a bit to Rte. 340, and then went along the Virginia bank of the Potomac for several miles. There is a rudimentary trail along the river, although it needs to be cleared of debris and overgrowth. We then went south and west towards Lovettsville, using a combination of obscure woodland routes and country roads, and from there winding our way in the vicinity of Lucketts. We finished at about 5:30, so we hiked 10 hours in all (with a half-hour lunch). It’s difficult to say how much mileage we covered, but it was well over 30. The climb to Loudoun Heights is about 500 feet, but there were many other ups and downs, probably between 2000 and 2500 feet total. The views of the Potomac from the Virginia bank are panoramic in scope, and it is surprising that the trail along the bank is not better developed.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide 48,419,721; # of deaths worldwide: 1,230,753; # of cases U.S.: 9,801,355; # of deaths; U.S.: 239,829.