Francis de Goya image courtesy of wikipedia.org
I am one of J. D. Vance’s “cat ladies.” Being childless, I have explored the universe without the need to pack a breast pump. That may be selfish of me, but I am unashamed. After all, I contributed to the well-being of the young as a teacher for many years. Sadly, I won’t live long enough to learn all there is to know about life. Even so, I’ve done my damndest to appreciate the gift of consciousness and the wonders that surround me.
Last week I learned that a huge waterfall exists two miles deep in the North Atlantic. A part of the ecosystem, its flow affects the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the main current that crisscrosses that ocean and affects the climate of the two hemispheres it touches. (“The Hole In The Map Of the World,” by Sandra Upson, Wired, pg. 36.) For the last few decades, scientists have detected changes in the flow and are scratching their heads to predict how it will affect our climate.
The consequences could be to alter weather patterns, kill off marine life, and endanger coastal areas. Europe might see more snow and less rain which would threaten food supplies.
Changes this dramatic aren’t fantasy and experts fear the question isn’t about if weather patterns will change but when. Guesses range from as early as 2025 to 2095. (Ibid, pg. 41) The different predictions depend upon how and what scientists measure.
Two experts who say changes will come sooner rather than later have published a study that compares new and old water. The old stuff comes from samples that go back millennia and when compared to current water conditions, they suggest the “end is near.” Other scientists chose to measure the current temperatures on the water’s surface. They, too, see a crisis looming but at a later date.
One author of the frozen water study shrugged when he learned his paper had caused a furor. “It’s a gift to be scrutinized,” he said. It meant his work had been taken seriously. He also noted that the hunt for the tipping point wasn’t a competition but serious business. (Ibid, pg. 44) No one disagrees about the urgency. Another researcher admitted, “The AMOC may have already tipped and we wouldn’t know if for years.” (Ibid, pg. pg. 45)
What scientists agree upon is that facts are important. The frozen water folks may rejoice today that their theory is under debate, but they also know that theory may end up in the dustbin of forgotten speculation. How refreshing it would be if politicians gave Truth that same respect.
Had Donald Trump honored truth, he’d have stopped insisting he won the 2020 Presidential election. Nor would he continue to abuse a natural ally, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp. But Kemp wouldn’t support the lie. So the former president continues to spew invectives at him like an actor auditioning for the title role in King Lear. There may be method in his madness, but few see it.
Whether Trump could have beaten Biden in 2024 is a matter of conjecture. I doubt it was possible. In 2020, Biden overwhelmed Trump by 7 million votes and took most of the swing states in the Electoral College. Since then, Trump’s been found guilty of a sexual assault charge and faces 34 felony convictions. That’s not a great political platform on which to stand.
In addition, Project 2025 hangs about his neck like an albatross. The document proposes to end all abortions, together with In Vito fertilization and contraception. These goals are non-starters for a majority of women. Nor do female hearts flutter when they learn that divorce would be banned, even in cases of spousal abuse, if Trump won reelection.
I don’t know whose tea leaves the Democrats were reading that predicted Biden’s loss to the former president, but polls shouldn’t have been among them. People vent their spleens with pollsters. How they vote is a serious matter and they treat it as such.
Whatever Democrats saw as a tipping point in the upcoming election, their fear lost the country a brilliant leader; yet despite his Party turning its back on him, Joe Biden continues to serve our democracy. The unprecedented release of several Russian hostages is a case in point. And, it’s a fair guess that Ukraine’s new offensive on Russian soil got his nod. Nor will I be surprised if Biden wrestles Bi Bi Netanyahu to the ground and garners a cease-fire in Gaza before he leaves office.
Even though Biden has decided to pass the election torch to Kamala Harris, the Henny Pennys among Democrats aren’t satisfied. They continue to comb the entrails of each new poll. “The race is neck and neck,” they wail. Blinded by fear, these soothsayers fail to see how the landscape has changed. The country has become more liberal.
Biden could see a tipping point in his Party rising against him, so he gave Democrats what they wanted, a younger candidate. It’s no credit to his colleagues that their angst lost the country one of its greatest leaders at a critical moment in history. Harris faces a steep learning curve. And, while I’m glad to see a woman run for President, I won’t forget that Biden’s foresight prepared her to be a creditable candidate.
With so many tipping points in play, there’s one the public may never appreciate. The joyful campaign of a new candidate has left an old friendship in tatters. Nancy Pelosi and Biden grew battle-hardened together. For 40 years, they had each other’s back. But not this time. This time, they saw different futures.
Which one was right, we’ll never know because Biden bent to Pelosi’s wisdom. Nonetheless, I suspect the hearts of both friends were broken when Biden conceded, each sensing that the tipping point between them had become a seismic rift. Behaving as patriots, they did what they thought was best for the country. Even so, I have little doubt their sacrifice will leave deep and personal scars scars in each of them.
