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OPINIONOPINION

 Mountain Views NewsSaturday, October 19, 2024

RICH JOHNSON

NOW THAT’S RICH

STUART TOLCHIN

PUT THE LIGHTS ON

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LaQuetta Shamblee


INTENTION VERSUS OBSTACLES

HIGH BEAMS AND OTHER ROAD SIGNS

After being 
reprimanded for 
something a year 
or so ago I recall 
my three-year old 
granddaughter 
proclaiming, “I 
want to be a good person.” The 
question for her seemed to be how 
much she was willing to relinquish 
of her own other wants to conform 
to the needs of our civilized society. 
Perhaps “civilized society” is a bit of 
an overstatement. Each morning, 
I, together with my wife, view the 
Christiane Amanpour report on PBS 
which is a reminder that this society 
is not particularly “civilized.”

 It so happens that this scheduled 
viewing conforms to my intent to be 
a good person living a satisfying life. 
After retiring from lawyering, I 
realized that without some sort of 
set routine I would spend most of 
the day unsatisfyingly wondering 
what it is I am supposed to be doing. 
Although, I cannot completely 
ignore the diminution of my mental 
capacity, watching Christiane and 
staying current with the news, is part 
of my personal attempt at being a 
good person.

 I am clear about this intent I know 
much more is required but I am 
confronted by many obstacles. I 
considered this as I watched one of 
the Israeli hostages being interviewed 
on the show. The interviewee 
briefly referred to the tortures 
and humiliations she had recently 
endured; but understandably, she 
made it clear that she wished to 
speak about what she needed to 
do in the future. She wanted to do 
something “meaningful” with her 
life. She was willing to speak about 
her experiences only in the context 
of assisting in bringing about the 
release of other hostages and solving 
the current crises. The question for 
her as she experienced her recently 
regained freedom was what could 
be done to assist other people in 
removing the obstacles to a sane and 
satisfying solution.

 All right, in my way I face the same 
problem. I already have a great deal 
of free time as my wife takes care of 
most things, but I still face obstacles. 
The major obstacle is that I don’t 
know how to do anything. Somehow, 
I have reached the age of 80 and lack 
the skills that everyone else seems to 
have. Making the bed each morning 
is a constant stumbling block. I make 
a point of putting out the food for 
our dog but often he refuses to eat it 
because either I have given him too 
much, or I put it out too early and 
the ants get at the food. I have been 
told “ there is a way” of putting the 
food in a bowl contained in a larger 
bowl containing water as a kind pf 
protective mote so that the dog can 
reach the food but the ants can't, I 
admit that I haven’t quite been able 
to do it yet but the ant season has 
hopefully already passed and I will 
keep learning ready for next year, if 
there is a next year.

 Laughingly, I have reached my 
point. In any situation, rather than 
accepting being blocked by obstacles, 
one has a choice. Thankfully, my 
granddaughter has accepted the 
fact that even if she wants to do 
something right now there are times 
she has to wait. She is not a fan of 
waiting, few of us are. Some of us 
have never learned to work very hard 
and instead accept the obstacles that 
block our intent. I admit I have never 
worked very hard, but I believe it’s 
never too late to learn. How does 
one cope with old age? It’s tough 
and there are obstacles and for me 
and many of the obstacles were not 
foreseen. Like my granddaughter 
I want to be a good person and do 
more than complain and be a burden 
to others. I know there is more to life 
than watching TV and Sports and 
complaining about feeling isolated 
not feeling safe to drive. Instead as a 
part of being a good person I will try 
and edit this article in the hope that 
some reader might be more able to 
appreciate what I have tried to share 
and will work to acquire the skills to 
get past their own obstacles `

 Well, I tried, and it doesn’t seem 
to get easier! No matter what, I will 
keep trying until all the obstacles are 
gone; or I am! 

Wow, believe it or not, I am going serious on you this week. I’ll try to end 
on a upbeat and humorous twist. 

Anybody other than me notice it seems like half of the cars on the road 
have their headlights on all the time? That’s not the problem. The problem 
is a significant number of people on the road are driving with their high beams on.

And, as you’ll see, it’s really dangerous.

 According to the law firm of Dulaney, Lauer and Thomas HIGH BEAMS are 
designed to be aimed squarely at eye-level for oncoming cars, so use is only intended for 
use when there is no oncoming traffic.

What You Risk When You Misuse Your High Beams

 Every driver has had (or will have) to drive after the sun goes down. Unfortunately, 
during those times, you will have a 50 percent greater chance of getting into an accident, 
according to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. To further these 
frightening odds, data taken from the Department of Transportation estimates that 85 
percent of drivers misuse their high beams at some point. The result: dangerous situations 
that magnify the risks for blinding accidents in poor nighttime visibility collisions.

 What’s more, if you run your high beams, when cars approach you, the more 
intense light can temporarily blind the drivers which may cause them to swerve into 
traffic…and that traffic just might be your vehicle.

 What’s more high beams are so powerful they can cause you to misjudge the 
distance in front of your vehicle. If you are using high beams all the time, your chances of 
misjudging the distance in front of you and risk plowing right into the car in front of you 
is much greater. It can also cause intersection and turning collisions. You can also blind, 
distract, annoy, infuriate the car driving in front of you. And make mistakes trying to get 
away from you.

 Finally, according to the legal eagles, if you use your high beams 24/7 and get in 
an accident, anyone injured can argue you were negligent and you have a good chance of 
ending up being held responsible for the accident.

Okay, sermon over. I better revert back to the role of court jester and end on a more 
positive note. How about a handful of actual, rather unusual road signs:

“Beware of Invisible Cows” (Really hard to see cows in darkness and fog)

“Warning: Air Force Bombing Range for Next 12 Miles” I don’t know about you but I 
would seriously think about taking an alternate route. My driving is risky enough on my 
own.

“Turn Right to Go Left” If you know the works of Soren Kierkegaard or Jean-Paul Sartre 
you’ll understand the existential reality embedded in this road sign. If these men are 
unfamiliar to you, then it’s really just a sign where you have to multitask to go left.

“Speed Limit 20 K.P.H. Warthogs and Children Have Right of Way” Hopefully they’re 
not crossing at the same time.

“Welcome to Accident” Believe it or not Accident is a town in Maryland. Not an invitation 
to join in the road rage.

“Beware: Wild Animals/Children” Self-evident caution.

(A sign with a picture of a guy in a wheelchair careening downhill into the open jaw of an 
alligator.) Apparently explanations are not necessary.

In conclusion, another shameless plug for my rock and roll birthday dinner concert at 
Nano Café. In case you missed last week’s shameless plug, my birthday is being celebrated 
with a costume (optional) event at Nano’s, October 26 from 6:30 to 9:15. (My actual 
birthday is, self evident to most, it’s Halloween.) Come for fun, dining and dancing. And 
if you’re of a certain minimum age drinking permitted. Phone number for reservations 
is (626) 325-3334. 

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HOWARD Hays As I See It


"They will look 
at you - down 
[there] a beautiful 
woman - they'll 
look at you and 
they will kill you" 
-Donald Trump,
addressing an 
audience member 
at the Economic 
Club of Chicago when asked about 
the impact of mass deportations on 
the economy.

 The big news of the week was 
Trump’s comments to Maria 
Bartiromo on Fox about the “enemy 
from within”; “We have some very 
bad people we have some sick people, 
radical left luna-tics”. But he assured 
they "should be very easily handled 
by, if necessary, by National Guard, 
or if really necessary by the military, 
because they can’t let that happen."

 Trump’s willingness to use the 
military against Americans comes 
in tandem with previews of Bob 
Woodward’s new book, wherein 
Trump’s former Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark 
Milley describes Trump as “fascist 
to the core” and “the most dangerous 
person ever”. Last month, Trump 
threatened to prosecute and jail 
“unscrupulous” election workers 
"at levels, unfor-tunately, never seen 
before in our Country."

 As expected, the MAGA team 
assures there’s nothing to worry 
about. On CNN, Virginia Gov. 
Glenn Youngkin insisted Trump was 
simply suggesting using the military 
in dealing with undoc-umented 
immigrants - even after host Jake 
Tapper had played Trump’s exact 
quote, in which he identifies one 
of those “radical left lunatics” as 
Congressman Adam Schiff.

 Others have excused Trump’s 
statements as merely “negotiating 
positions”, or “Trump being Trump”. 
But interviewed on CNN, Olivia 
Troye, advisor to former V.P. Mike 
Pence, recalled how "I walked those 
grounds outside the White House the 
day that Donald Trump suggested we 
shoot protesters and Americans. . . I 
had friends there in that square with 
their families. They were peacefully 
protesting."

 Also on that interview was Kevin 
Carroll, former counselor to retired 
Marine Gen. John Kelly when he 
served as Trump’s homeland security 
secretary; "He wanted to use the 
military to shoot migrants, including 
women and children, crossing the 
Rio Grande. . . He wanted to invoke 
the Insurrection Act to use federal 
troops against protesters during the 
George Floyd demonstrations . . .” As 
Carroll summed it up, "Trump was 
just itching to misuse the military."

 The fear now is that, under hiring 
guidelines outlined in Project 2025, 
Trump would no longer have staff 
members who’d tell him “No”. Asked 
for an assessment of Trump’s threats, 
his for-mer Defense Secretary Mark 
Esper told CNN, "Yes, I think we 
should take those words serious-ly."

 But according to polls, the major 
concern among voters remains the 
economy. V.P. Harris has made her 
priorities clear; help for first-time 
homebuyers, affordable childcare, 
the wealthiest in-dividuals and 
corporations paying their fair share 
of taxes, assistance for small business 
start-ups, etc.

 Trump has had opportunities to 
put forward his own plans for the 
economy. At a Fox town hall focused 
on women’s issues, he was asked 
specifically about the price of bacon. 
Trump’s re-sponse was that Ukraine 
wouldn’t have been invaded under 
his watch. (He also referred to him-
self as the “Father of IVF”.)

 Then there was the Economic 
Club of Chicago, where Trump was 
interviewed by Bloomberg Ed-itor-
In-Chief John Micklethwait. He was 
asked about his proposed tariffs and 
the fact they’d “push up the cost for all 
of these people to buy foreign goods . 
. . That is just simple mathemat-ics.” 
Trump replied that he’s “always good 
at mathematics”.

 When asked for comment on a 
Wall Street Journal analysis that his 
proposals would push deficits up 
by $7 trillion over a decade (twice 
the amount of Harris’), Trump 
observed “They’ve been wrong 
about everything”. And as for the 
interviewer himself, “You’ve been 
wrong all your life on this stuff”. 
Asked about breaking up Google, 
Trump responded by talking about 
voting rolls in Virginia.

 Pressed for an example of cutting 
waste in government, Trump 
mentioned remodeling Air Force 
One. And as for assembling 
German-made cars in the U.S., “We 
could have a child do it.” Asked 
about help for small businesses, 
Trump talked about Apple (with a 
$3.6 trillion market cap). And then 
as to the impact of forcibly deporting 
11 million immigrants - well, there’s 
that opening quote above.

 As summed up by reporters Nikki 
McCann Ramirez and Ryan Bort in 
Rolling Stone, “it quickly became 
clear that the former president has 
no conception of the mechanics of 
or the potential ramifications of the 
economic platform he’s running on”. 
But he doesn’t have to. He’s got bil-
lionaires Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and 
those behind Project 2025 to handle 
it for him.

 But the one thing he’s always been 
clear about and personally obsessed 
with, as related by Gen. Kelly to 
journalists Peter Baker and Susan 
Glasser, is wanting “his” generals to 
be “totally loyal” like "The German 
generals in World War II” as the 
then-president put it. And he wanted 
that military pa-rade “in his honor”, 
but without those “wounded guys” 
because “It doesn’t look good for me”.

 According to Gen. Kelly, Trump 
remains “A person that has no idea 
what America stands for and has no 
idea what America is all about . . . A 
person that has nothing but contempt 
for our democratic institutions, our 
Constitution, and the rule of law.”

 Over 100 lawsuits have already 
been filed by the Republican 
National Committee in preparation 
for challenging election results 
regardless of how they come in. We 
can’t allow this election to be even be 
close.


DICK POLMAN

HARRIS POKED THE BAIER IN 
THE DEN OF DISINFORMATION


In all likelihood, 99 percent 
of the Fox News faithful 
who saw Kamala Harris 
Wednesday night came away 
convinced anew she’s awful. 
But her decision to visit the 
notorious propaganda outlet 
had very little downside. 
If she managed to sway a 
percent or two, that could help her in a close 
election.

What she did demonstrate – for the small 
share of Fox viewers with open minds – is she 
is the precise opposite of how Trump routinely 
depicts her. He says she’s dumb, cognitively 
impaired, and incapable of stringing sentences 
together. Perhaps it shocked some viewers to 
discover none of those slurs are true. Perhaps 
some viewers will give her points for sitting 
in the lion’s den and showing she’s tough 
and articulate. Perhaps some female viewers 
noticed she refused to abide Bret Baier’s 
constant interruptions, the first of which came 
20 seconds into the interview.

But the most galvanizing moment came late in 
the half hour, when Harris denounced Trump 
for railing the other day about unleashing 
the U.S. military against “the enemy within.” 
Baier was ready for that – or so he thought. He 
teed up a video clip that sought to whitewash 
Trump’s comments; earlier Wednesday, 
Trump had insisted, “I’m not threatening 
anybody.” That was the clip.

Well. What else could we expect from a fake 
news network that was compelled to shell out 
$787 million in a court settlement after it was 
outed for amplifying Trump’s relentless lies 
about the 2020 election?

It was no surprise that the clip Baier aired 
was deftly edited to omit all of Trump’s rants 
about the so-called enemies within – the 
“sick” and the “evil” and the “dangerous” and 
the “Marxists” and the “communists,” and 
“the Pelosis” (one of which was attacked by a 
hammer-wielding MAGAt). Harris promptly 
exposed that classic Fox trickery by slapping 
Baier silly:

“Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that 
clip was not what he has been saying about ‘the 
enemy within’ that he has repeated when he’s 
speaking about the American people. That’s 
not what you just showed. Here’s the bottom 
line, he has repeated that many times. You and 
I both know that he’s talked about turning the 
American military on the American people. 
He has talked about going after people who 
are engaged in peaceful protest. He has talked 
about locking people up because they disagree 
with him.

“This is a democracy. And in a democracy, the 
president of the United States, in the United 
States of America, should be willing to handle 
criticism without saying he’d lock people up 
for doing it. And this is what is at stake, which 
is why you have someone like the former 
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saying 
what Mark Milley has said, about Donald 
Trump being a threat to the United States of 
America.”

Baier was facing the camera, so it was 
impossible to see the tire tracks on his back.

Another great moment was when Baier pointed 
out that roughly half the voters seem likely 
to support Trump, he asked Harris whether 
she thought they were “stupid.” That was 
an obvious Baier trap, inviting her to utter a 
basket-of-deplorables remark a la Hillary. But 
she was too smart to take that bait: “I would 
never say that about the American people!”

Are at least a small percentage of Fox viewers 
willing to abide a strong woman who refuses 
to kowtow? We’ll see about that. But her 
forthright fervor likely did her no harm – and 
it’ll arguably play better, in the social media 
clips, than Trump’s response Wednesday 
night, during a Florida event, to a question 
about whether he still thinks climate change 
is a hoax. He proceeded to talk about his Doral 
golf course:

“I get awards, environmental awards for the 
way I built it for the water, the way I use the 
water, the sand, the mixing of the sand and 
the water, I mean many different, but I’ve had 
many awards over the years for environmental, 
the way I’ve built because you know about 
building that’s what you do…The water is 
coming up an eighth of an inch over 300 years, 
the ocean is gonna rise and you know nobody 
knows if it’s true or not but they’re worried 
about the ocean rising an eighth of an inch or 
a quarter of an inch in 300 years.”

Harris was willing to do Fox News, so perhaps 
Trump would be willing to explain his climate 
change comment in a sitdown with MSNBC.

He’ll do it right after he releases his medical 
records.


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