Today is Friday February 12^th, the Chinese Lunar New Year. Kia ora.

Last weekend it was Waitangi Weekend. Saturday February 6^th is traditionally a public holiday, but Monday February 8^th was a public holiday, on account of the 6^th falling on a Saturday.

We drove to Taupo on Saturday for an aunt’s 80^th birthday party to be held on Monday. We got away later than expected, at 12:15 pm. The traffic out of Wellington was heavy, but lightened considerably when we got onto the Expressway. It is so exciting to see this being extended both to the north and to the south, each time we travel on it. We had lunch at our favourite café in Otaki, where I had a croissant. We stopped again at Taihape, but the cafés were closed by that time. We reached Taupo at 6 pm.

We had dinner with my son’s family at a Thai restaurant. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy, and we had a banquet, sharing dishes between us. The next day we followed the family to the AC Baths. These have been upgraded wonderfully. I was able to get a coffee there.  Afterwards we went to Pak’N Save – a huge store and very busy indeed. We got a park outside the front, and struggled to find the few necessities we needed. We bought some food to eat for lunch back at the motel, marvelling at the greater choice of take away food.

In the afternoon we drove upstream from the Huka Falls to the Aratiatia Rapids – very civilised, with a carpark, several walking tracks, and a walkway to get a good view of the water being released.  The walkway was very uneven, but we got a great view of the water, standing at a viewing platform where we could see both ways – the release of the water, as it made its way upstream. There were sirens to warn that release was imminent. The release was very dramatic – we watched the foaming water travel up where previously it had been calm. It was a very hot day! 

Afterwards we went to the Tongariro Domain – a nice play area – where we discovered the Museum (I am ashamed to admit I hadn’t been there before). Taupo by now was very busy, and very hot indeed.  It was cool inside the museum, and well worth a look – very hands on, you could go inside a 1950’s caravan.  We went inside the Wharenui, and looked at Maori remains in the Tongariro Gallery. The Museum is a very interesting place.  It didn’t look very big, but there was a surprising amount to see there.  The Wharenui was in the centre, of course, but was balanced by the solemnity of the Tongariro Gallery on the one side, and the Art Gallery on the other. The darkened Tongariro Gallery held many fascinating Maori artefacts, including a waka, and some fine paintings of early New Zealand scenes, including a Barraud – this time a painting of Lake Taupo, but from a non-traditional location.

Afterwards, we wanted to get gelato at a Gelateria in the main road, but there was a queue, it was very hot, and besides, we would have had to cross the busy road. Instead, we settled for trumpet-like ice creams from a supermarket. That evening we walked in the heat past crowded bars to have a kebab for dinner.

The next day was turning out to be quite busy. Friends of ours wanted to meet for breakfast at a café at 9 am. We were due at the marina at 10:15 for a 90 minute cruise.  It all turned out fine, of course, despite my trepidation.  The day dawned much colder than the previous one. We met our friends at Victoria Café, where they were just opening up. Fortunately we were early, and ordered early, because the café rapidly filled up. The menu was a little strange, but I had toast with jam and marmalade, and a long black coffee and orange juice.  We had plenty of time to get to the marina for our cruise, but I was happy to wear my cardigan and my jacket.

The cruise was just great. It was overcast, but most seats were enclosed. The seating was like on a train, with benches between seats. The children were able to have a turn at the wheel; they were also given drawing materials and charts of things to look for. There were toilets, and morning tea – tea, coffee and water, and blueberry muffins.  The cruise passed several other boats and stopped for a few minutes beside the Maori rock paintings.  It was very moving.

When we arrived back, we went to the motel to get changed for the birthday party. The party went well, I think!  Afterwards, we were due at our friends’ Taupo “cottage” for dinner, where we had a lovely time. I would not have thought I could do all this.

The next day, we all checked out by 10 am, and we drove to Napier, across the Taupo-Napier Road. This was quite busy, and had no internet reception for much of the way.  It took a couple of hours; we picked our daughter up for lunch at a nearby café (she had waffles with fruit, I had mushrooms on toast and JD had corn fritters). We delivered her back to Clive, and drove back to Wellington.

In other news, more things are closing in Wellington. David Jones, which replaced Kirkcaldies’ (with many of the same staff), is to close. That is very sad indeed. It was a really nice place to shop. Astoria Café (next door) remains closed, with nothing to replace it. In Australia H & M has closed three stores, blaming online shopping for the lack in trade.  I wonder how anyone can buy clothes without trying them on?  There has been a building site at Stewart Dawson’s Corner for a very long time, and there was talk of an H & M Store going in there. Evidently this is not likely to happen. There are few places to go in Wellington now!

In the US, Trump’s second impeachment trial has failed, in that it didn’t achieve enough votes to impeach him and apply any kind of censure. This outcome, while not surprising, is very upsetting, nonetheless. There have been harrowing images of the insurrection at the Capitol, telling us how close some senators were to disaster; showing Romney and Schumer running for their lives; and, still, no one except journalists cares about Vice President Mike Pence. One commentator says that he’s not Trump, and he’s not liked. Still, Trump’s treatment of him was terrible. It transpires that Pence had told Trump that he couldn’t overturn the election result, as Trump had requested, and yet even after Trump was told that Pence had been moved, he tweeted to the effect that Pence had let him down, thus encouraging the mob to pursue him. The Biden administration continues to do its work – there have been no major crises, as yet.  Although 484,000 people have died of coronavirus, the vaccines are being distributed and administered, and it seems that the daily death rate is slowing.

It is now Sunday February 14^th here, Valentine’s Day. Today there has been important Covid 19 news. There are three cases in the community, in South Auckland, all in one family. The woman, who spread it to her husband and daughter, worked at a firm that does cleaning and catering for Air New Zealand. Furthermore, the family went to Taranaki for Waitangi Weekend. Thankfully, it’s not in Wellington (yet!); the Auckland area will be at level 3 for three days until midnight on Wednesday, and the rest of New Zealand will be at level 2. What will this mean for the week’s activities? I don’t know yet. I imagine council services will be rushing to decide.  My brother-in-law’s trip from Western Australia has been totally messed up by sudden lockdowns firstly in Perth and now potentially in Auckland, where he remains in MIQ. There are several weddings next Saturday – I’m relieved now that we’re not planning a party or going to one. We’ll see what happens. While I feel sorry for those affected, it’s really no big deal as far as I’m concerned. Exciting times! Ngā mihi.

Today is Saturday January 30^th. Kia ora!

I have posted this photo of a pedestrian in Johnsonville, between the Johnsonville Shopping Centre and Moorefield Road. There is a road bump here, but you could barely see the white stripes before. Well, you can now. They have been repainted. I would estimate this crossing gets used quite a lot, seeing you need to use it to get to the train station, to catch a bus north, or to get to the new library. I guess it’s part of the infamous “hub”. I am pleased to have the stripes repainted. I still hope for a controlled crossing, and more pedestrian safety.

Well, I guess you can take Trump out of the White House, but you can’t take Trumpism out of the Republican Party. More on this later.

This morning I finished reading East West Street by Philippe Sands. I could not renew it, so returned it to the library one day late. I must reserve it again.

What an interesting book this turned out to be! It’s a true story about two Jewish law scholars who grew up in the city of Lvov, in what is now Ukraine (previously Galicia, near Poland). I had never heard of these two, or indeed of Lvov, and initially I feared  the book would turn out to be boring. The author’s grandfather also grew up there, and the stories of the three and their families are complicated, but well worth reading. Lemkin and Lauterpacht were law scholars, legal thinkers, who struggled with their existing legal systems.  Lemkin focused on the crime of genocide, a term he used for the attempted extermination of a particular race or tribe of people; Lauterpacht worked on the law as it pertained to an individual, and the individual’s rights, coming up with the term crimes against humanity. Both were involved in the setting up of an International Court of Law, arising out of the League of Nations. Both were involved with their families in fleeing from the advances of the Germans in the 1930’s and 40’s. At one stage Vienna was thought to be a safe place. It was, for a time.

Both men, and the author’s father, managed to escape from Lvov when it was absorbed into Poland, and the Nazis took over; the escapes, and the stories of family members, make for harrowing reading. L and L struggled to have their terms recognised, although they were recognised as great legal scholars in England and the US. The author’s mother was brought to England (without her parents) as a one year old, in a truly remarkable story of survival. This family reunited (the author’s grandparents and his mother); There is no mention of his father. He ended up as a lawyer himself, involved in prosecuting cases of genocide after World War 2.

Both were involved, to some extent, in the Nuremberg Trial.  When it came to making a legal judgment of the main people involved in Hitler’s Reich, and the isolation and murder of the Jews from Galicia (and Warsaw and many other places) there was great difficulty in obtaining agreement from the Four Powers in charge of Germany and Austria (the Soviets, the US, the French and the British) how this would be done. There had been a huge conflict: now people wanted to move on.  The story of the trial is very interesting. Ultimately, Hans Frank, who had been Governor General of Poland, was hanged for his crimes against humanity, and some justice was seen to be done.

The book is most interesting, weaving together three detective stories of discovery. I was struck by the immense personal difficulties and hardships of those involved; the rapid decisions that had to be made; and the leaving behind and separation of family members. The Nazis were quite deliberate in how they went after Jewish people (and others, whom they deemed “undesirable”), by rendering them stateless, taking away their individuality, and their culture. Then, in Warsaw, and in Lvov, they were moved into a ghetto (they were not allowed to leave, on pain of death), and then moved for “resettlement”, a dreaded “Aktion” which meant transported in dreadful conditions to a Concentration Camp, where most were put to death.

The author had trouble putting details together. Many Jewish survivors did not wish to remember, and who can blame them? But some came around, and found photographs, and bits of information. Much of it fitted together. I am so glad that I read this book, and I should like to read parts of it again. I tend to read things quickly at first, but it’s nice to go over something more slowly, and see other pieces fall into place.

Reading this book and listening to US politics couldn’t but remind me of the parallels here. The Republican Party, some of whose leaders strongly condemned Trump initially when the mob of his supporters invaded the Capitol, have now almost completely capitulated, and those who spoke out are being censured.  For the most alarming elected representatives (whose elections are not doubted), such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, not only are they not repentant, and apparently not censured by their own Party, but they continue to make terrifying threats. More and more we hear how frightening the assault on the Capitol was; the people censuring some mobsters are judges, not other Republican politicians. The lies are scary, and they’re being built on. You try to ignore them, but It’s as though you can’t.  Where are the Right to lifers? The Evangelicals? I haven’t heard from these folk. It is truly alarming to have people consider some lives more worthy than others. Nancy Pelosi has stated that the main danger lies within.  The workplace of elected representatives has become very scary. What next?

Meanwhile, people like Kevin McCarthy have gone to Mar a Lago to “kiss the ring”. There’s a photo of him and Trump, with both men beaming.

It is just so scary, that despite bring given so many off-ramps, the Republican Party still supports this man. I watched a history of American Carnage on PBS and was again reminded how scary he has been.

The Democrats are wonderful. Joe Biden seems to have heaps of energy. He has a wonderful team: Jen Psaki continues to delight with her daily press briefings, and there was a Covid 19 briefing not attended by the President! There are lots of executive orders, there’s so much to do undoing Trump’s ghastliness and cruelty. Biden’s team is amazing, and good luck to them. Once again I am reminded off the awesome powers of the presidency.

Back in New Zealand the panic over new Covid 19 diagnoses (three in the community) seems to have died down. There is a long weekend now, with Auckland Anniversary Day on Monday. We are still at Level 1 restrictions (not Level None, as Dr Bloomfield reminded us). With any “lapse”, there is a great deal of righteous indignation; I think you can’t be too absolute, and MIQ measures have worked well for New Zealand to date. They are tweaked as needed, and that is a salvation too. It also looks wise that the NZ government hasn’t rushed into ordering a vaccine, as there’s now a new one that doesn’t require a follow-up dose.

It’s quite cold in Wellington at present. Not very summer. That’s it for now. Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday, January 26^th. Kia ora!

Just after I last posted, a community case of Covid 19 was diagnosed in Northland. There was a press conference at 4 pm, fronted by Chris Hipkins and Dr Ashley Bloomfield. This person had returned from overseas, had twice  tested negative in MIQ, but after leaving MIQ developed some Covid 18 symptoms , has tested positive for the African variant, and is now self-isolating. This woman had done everything right: she’d used the Covid tracer app to log all her movements (which were many!) between Mangawhai and Ruakaka, just south of Whangarei. I must say I find Chris Hipkins slightly irritating, although I am disposed to think well of him. He’s not as patient or gracious as Jacinda Ardern pr Ashley Bloomfield.

Everyone here is eager for news. So far, her husband and 14 close contacts have tested negative. A list of the 29 places she went to has been published. She is doing, and has done, everything that was requested of her, and has been careful.  There are long lines for testing: that seems a bit odd to me, for surely when you make an appointment for a test you’re given a time to come? Some shops are closed.  There is a question about the ventilation system in the hotel where she stayed. It’s thought she caught Covid 19 from another traveller on the same floor who tested positive. Perhaps the ventilation system is to blame.

So far, so good. No really big dramas here. No lockdowns, or restrictions, have been announced as yet. But I really do think we were due for a wake-up call. I too have been assiduously tracking my movements in the Covid Tracer App, noting that you can always make a manual entry if there’s no visible QR code, or it’s too far away on the bus, or you forgot.  Meanwhile, we are waiting on vaccines. Two people I know are involved in this, which is heartening. After all, we can’t go anywhere outside New Zealand, so there’s no rush.

What’s been happening here? Last Thursday we took two friends to the Golf Club at Heretaunga, and had lunch there. Sadly, the weather wasn’t great – it was very windy, and drizzling with rain at times. On Saturday we went to a granddaughter’s birthday party – a Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Sadly, the weather wasn’t that great for this, although better than on Thursday. Yesterday we had a very nice lunch with my cousin – Quiche Lorraine and Salad Caprese.

Yesterday I listened to Orson Welles delivering a sermon on Jonah, from the film Moby Dick. This was very powerful. I also watched another good movie: The Zookeeper’s Wife. In the evening I watched The Quiet Room with Emily Blunt. The movie features remarkable performances, although I found aspects of the storyline highly improbable. I was suitably spooked, however.  I am also reading East West Street by Philippe Sands. I am fairly heavily immersed in dreadfully sad stories of survival during the Second World War. This morning the LRB is letting me read an article about Eric Hobsbawm, communist and historian, written by Frances Stonor Saunders; he, too, escaped from Germany in the 1930’s. I have now read this interesting article. Saunders evidently talked to John le Carré about Hobsbawm’s case, and about the Secret Service’s merciless drive against members of the Communist Party, or those who had shown communist tendencies (except for some charming, well-educated aristocrats, of course). Her speaking to le Carré brings it all back – the smell of a London “safe house”, and the dingy surroundings of the secret bureaucracy.

So much to read! So little time! I bought the latest NZ Listener yesterday. The puzzles did not take me very long. Today a copy of the London Review of Books arrived – the first one I received for a long time. It’s dated 5 November 2020. I think I am missing several editions, but it’s  good to get this one. I also took the liberty of buying this week’s Economist, because it looks interesting! Someone has written a book about Gorbachev, and I’m interested to read the review. It seems Gorby was a deeply conflicted character. I can relate to that.

Today is Tuesday, so the week begins again in the US and the regular podcast cycle starts up again (meaning I can listen to the Bulwark podcast, always good for keeping up to date with the US political news, and the podcasts of Chris Hayes’s show All In and Rachel Maddow’s TRMS).

In the meantime, I’m reading for my life. It’s all so interesting, and helps to take my mind off US politics. I have to realise US politics has ever been weird and a bit scary – from the assassination of JFK through to Dubya’s invasion of Iraq. Trump just took everything to another level. And even though he’s no longer president, and Joe Biden and his very capable team are working hard to undo Trump’s dreadful legacy and address major issues, like the pandemic (now 421,000 dead), the economy, schooling, to name the most important….yet still the Republican Party seems to be the party of Trump. They’re partisan and difficult, and seem determined to stand in the way of any moves to do good things. Then are the threats posed by China, Russia, North Korea, Iran….I hope Biden and his amazing  team, will be both trustworthy and honest.  One thing I will say for Trump, he didn’t start any new wars, however one might question his alliances and support.  So I guess I should butt out, and say it’s none of my business. Except, as a citizen of the world, it is. Whatever the US does has an impact on the rest of the world.

Late breaking news indicates that McConnell has stopped demanding that the Democrats hold on to the filibuster, and has signalled his agreement to come to some kind of power-sharing agreement with Senator Schumer, I fear that Senator Schumer, despite his good intentions, is not quite up to dealing with the wily turtle. We shall see, of course. Meantime, the will be a second impeachment trial. It’s hard to see how Trump can “win” this one, although the GOP seems to be the Party of Trump. What do they stand for? Who knows?  Power, at any cost, it seems. Millions of people admire this and back it, despite the lies, the conspiracy theories, and the craziness.

The US Supreme Court has thrown out cases brought against Trump for defying the emoluments clause in the Constitution. There has been so much corruption.

In a Press Conference Jacinda Ardern has stated that our borders will remain closed, for now, although the government will continue to explore travel bubbles with Australia and the Pacific.  That’s no great hardship. After all, where in the world would you go? Any by what means?

Nga mih

Today is Saturday January 22. Kia ora!

Joe Robinette (?) Biden Jnr is now safely inaugurated as President of the US.

Hey, America, don’t do that again!  I always found America a scarily wonderful place, a vast land of huge contrasts. I’ve been there six times, so I feel I have some right to make statements of fact and opinion. Even when Obama was President, it was a scary place. But the last four years have really been something else.

I have close family members living there, so I have had a quite intimate fear, as well as the fear of the world in general.  America, who’s in charge, and what is done, has a profound effect on the rest of the world, even here in New Zealand.  I know there are many wonderful people in America, for whom I have enormous respect, so how could Trump even be elected? Be the republican candidate? It’s really important who’s in government, if you don’t want the death penalty, or physical punishment in schools; if you want contraception to be freely available; oh, and that black folk be fairly treated – many of these things we take for granted in other civilised nations.

This “aberration”, as RBG called it, has been horrendous. Yes, I realise many Americans who voted for Joe Biden are experiencing a huge sense of relief, but we were terrified too. I followed the election, and all its steps, very closely. Each morning the first thing I would do on waking was see what Trump was up to. It wasn’t just that he didn’t do stuff – he actively interfered when others were trying to do the Right Thing! Most if not all “good people” were fired by him. His handling of the pandemic has been dreadful.

What a relief, then, to have a new administration! Despite much fear and anticipation, nothing bad happened. In fact, like the DNC Convention, it was a joyful, joyous ceremony, full of surprises, which did much to make it truly memorable:

• Biden’s wonderful speech, highly rated by Chris Wallace and many others;
• Despite heavy security, to us watching on television it didn’t seem heavy;
• Many wonderful pop stars, including J Lo singing “This land is your land, this land is my Land”, and then speaking in Spanish;
• The crowds weren’t in the Mall, but thousands of flags (used properly) were;
• An amazing fireworks display;
• Amanda Gorman’s poem, and her utter self-confidence in demonstrating with her arms and reading it;
• Everyone wore masks;
• Ted Cruz and John Hawley were there;
• Pence was there (having declined Trump’s farewell party at Andrews Air Base); Trump wasn’t there, thank goodness.
• The whole scene was incredibly moving, and brought tears to my eyes.

Like many others, I rejoiced when there were so many Democratic candidates for president; I despaired when Joe Biden was chosen. But he has turned out to be a good candidate, and probably the only one who could have beaten Trump. In the end it wasn’t even close, and Biden won comfortably, although it seemed there were innumerable hurdles to jump over. Biden looked frail at times. At the first presidential debate, male Americans were horrified by how “violated” they felt. Some women felt their blood pressure go up, and panic attacks coming on. Would Biden get the coronavirus? How would he cope with the wearying travel requirements?  But the man (and his VP nominee, and his team) rose to the occasion, and it has all been memorable in so many ways. Remember the disruptions to the US Postal Service? One might say despite numerous obstacles, and a global pandemic, democracy rose to meet the moments (and there were many of them).

After the inauguration, rather than expensive balls,  we had a press conference, fronted by Jen Psaki. What a change! We weren’t lied to! She was gracious. All the Democrats speak well. I’m sure there are some bad eggs. But just at present, they all speak well and sound eloquent and gracious. The way they speak is a huge contrast to republican politicians, for whom everything seems political. This press conference reminds me of some in New Zealand, where some members of the press asked really silly questions. Jan Psaki remained unfazed.

Biden’s team is filled with wonderful, capable people, who are both thoughtful and intelligent. None of them overshadows Biden, but he lets them get on with their work. And what a joy it is to see Dr Fauci unleashed, even having a chuckle!  I was very moved by his recent interview on Rachel Maddow’s show. So, the Democrats are wonderful. They are trustworthy. They are gracious.

In contrast, the republicans are all over the place.  McConnell has trashed Trump, publicly, twice, but he’s being difficult about governing, after being in control of the Senate for so long. How loyal are the other senators to him? Lisa Murkowski is evidently thinking of voting with the Dems; a motion to censure Cruz and Hawley has been put forward. I have heard pundits argue whether their despicable actions are good politics for them.  They seem treasonous to others.  Everything is political.  Some (e.g. Kevin McCarthy) are punished for not being “Trumpy” enough;  Linsey Graham, who is mates again with Trump, after denouncing him on January 6^th, was jeered at an airport recently.  They can’t get it right now. I think Mitt Romney’s message to tell one’s constituents the truth is not amazing, just sensible.  The death threats must have been scary, but some folk stood up to Trump, e.g. Raffensperger, Gabriel Sterling, Rosen, and Liz Cheney (who denounced Trump strongly) has been called on to resign.  The Republican Party, as at their awful Convention at the White House, still has no platform. What exactly does it stand for?

What a joy it is not to hear Trump on twitter. That is a huge move, and has proved to be hugely disempowering. I am sure there are folk who would be happy to relay his message, but he hasn’t been prepared to learn to use another social media platform. After all, he’s 74 years old – probably not that adaptable.  I listened to part of his farewell speech – it started out being quite gracious, but as time went on I just couldn’t stand the lies. I did notice the omission of Kimberley Guilfoyle from his speech. All his other children, and their spouses, were mentioned by name.

The stories just keep coming of his ghastliness. The string of last-minute pardons (of some people who pled guilty to committing really bad crimes) include one to Steve Bannon, who fleeced Trump’s supporters sending money to build the southern border wall!  Trump’s own supporters have not only bought into many of the lies, but they contributed to a fund which was used to pay Steve Bannon! Their contributions didn’t go towards building the Wall. Meanwhile, his supporters breached the Capitol! They weren’t kept out by police, barriers, or respect for democratic institutions – government by elected representatives, be they gun-toting, Q-Anon conspirators, or people who had no intention of respecting the Oath to the Constitution they had taken.  Now the Proud Boys are feeing abandoned by Trump – they were just doing as he asked!

All this talk about free speech seems silly to me. Surely one should aim not to hurt anyone by what one says: own your own opinions, but be careful how you state them! And remember, while you’re entitled to your own opinions, you aren’t entitled to your own facts. Sometimes the truth takes a while to emerge, but you can always say “At the moment it seems to me…”. Surely one should always try not to be hurtful. You’re allowed to admit to having been wrong, or having changed your views!

Here in New Zealand, the government has tightened border restrictions – you now have to have a negative Covid 19 test before getting on a plane to come here.  I just hope the vaccines arrive before we have another community outbreak. There have been no major incidents at MIQ facilities recently, but we all depend on these good folk, who of course have their own families and networks. There is an alarming number of new cases diagnosed each day, including the more infectious new variant(s). These are now recognised as being more deadly too. Hospitals in the US and the UK are in a bad way, that’s if you can get to a hospital.  In the US Biden and Harris held a memorial service for those who died in this pandemic – now officially 414,000. Still, there is hope for the future – vaccines, and a new US President and administration.

Ngā mihi.

Today is Tuesday January 19. Kia ora.

“The dog has turned back to his own vomit; and the washed sow to her rolling in mud”, 2 Peter 2:22.

I can’t help thinking of this text as we learn more and more about the sad events of January 6, and Trump’s role in them, and of a few republicans who were initially shocked, and have now gone back to supporting him (Linsey Graham, for example).  There is lot of the republican talk of how unfair it is to impeach him, with only days left in office. All this while there is enormous fear around the inauguration, due January 20.

There are many armed troops and policemen in Washington, and they themselves are being vetted to weed out any traitors within their ranks.  Fourteen, I think, were weeded out.

We have been here before. Trump does something terrible, worse than he’s done before, and his crowds, and many republicans, denounce him, and then revert to still adore him. Some wit quipped that if he ran down Pennsylvania Avenue naked, people would admire his new clothes. And yet, the Pentagon said No to him – No to his demand for a 21 gun salute and a military parade when he leaves the White House. The headline reads: “Pentagon smacks down Trump’s request for large-scale, red-carpet, military-style sendoff”.  Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it?  So that’s a relief.

The stories just keep coming: of corporate funding supporting groups that supported the mobsters; of military-style formations of some mobsters ; of Ted Cruz’s despicable sucking-up to Trump, although he insulted his wife and his father; of rioters who claim to be doing as their president requested, and now wanting pardons; of frightened journalists, who now realise the fear Black people experience for themselves and their children all the time; of the violence and cruelty of the mob, who were quite prepared to kill Nancy Pelosi and hang Mike Pence. So far, I have not heard anyone speaking up for Pence except journalists; while many of us despise his unwavering support for Trump, and his failure to deal effectively with the HIV-Aids epidemic in Indiana when he was governor, nobody agrees that he should be put to death.

The mobsters include veterans, a former Olympic medalist, and many people who Should Have Known Better.  Some of them are shocked and surprised to be arrested, although they were violent, and attacking police, in many instances. It also seems that terrifying as this insurrection was, for several hours, help was held up in terms of reinforcements. Many people, politicians and their families and journalists, had to hide in terror for their lives, for hours, in some cases, having “escaped” from the debating chamber with only seconds to spare. These mobsters were not students or young people who could claim to have under-developed brains. They were grown-ups.

In contrast with the many Black Lives Matter protests, where to be sure there was some burning and looting, the marches were largely peaceful, and no one was killed at their hands. Yet although these protests were extensive, justice for black and coloured people remains elusive.

The fear and terror caused by these events, and the trauma experienced by the many people who nursed a loved one with Covid 19, and the health workers involved, must surely leave a huge burden of shock and grief on those who remain. It’s not just older people who have died – many younger people have lost their lives, and children have lost their parents, in addition to losing a year’s schoolwork and normal socialisation. “It didn’t have to be this way”.

It is now Wednesday January 20 here. I trust that when I wake up tomorrow morning, Biden will have been safely inaugurated as President.

Last night was weird. I woke with a sense of dread at 3:25 am, then went back to sleep, some time later. I got up early intending to go to summer Tai Chi  (outdoors and free, weather permitting), and then decided, when I went out to get the newspaper, it was too windy, and I would not go.

Today there are more interesting news stories. It seems Mitch McConnell has condemned Trump even more soundly, saying that “the mob who invaded the building were fed lies and provoked by the President.”

There is much apprehension. Washington DC is like a war-zone. While Trump has not started a war yet, there are great fears that he will. The mob (of mobs) includes conspiracy theorists (Q-Anon supporters), the Proud Boys, armed self-styled militias, and many others, who claim to be acting as their president told them to; that their violence is warranted; that they are standing up for their constitution and democracy (as opposed to the socialism or even wore, communism espoused by Democrats)…so many lies. The biggest lie, fomented for many months before November’s election, is that the election was rigged, and the presidency was stolen from Trump; hence Biden’s decisive win was somehow fraudulent and stolen.

There is a lot of talk about the vehemence, violence and innate beliefs of the mobsters, and a lot of fear: what will they do next? Will Biden’s inauguration be interrupted in some way we don’t yet know? Fear of the unknown is huge.

Not long to go now.  Another day, another hurdle. For some reason, I am absorbed by all this. Ngā mihi.

Actually it is now Sunday  January 17^th. Kia ora! Kia kaha!

I have been meaning to write again for some time.

We are inching towards Joe Biden’s inauguration as President of the US, and learning more and more about the events on Wednesday January 6^th, when the US Capitol was invaded by an angry mob.

But first, I have finished reading Olive, Again, by Elizabeth Strout.  How I enjoyed this novel. Spoiler alert – I will say what happens. Olive marries and loses a second husband; she has a heart attack, and a fall, and she moves into a nursing home.  Her environment shrinks, although her mind does not. People speak over her, as if she weren’t there, but she finds this strangely freeing. She gets tired; she has a fall and can’t get up. The indignities of age creep up on her, yet her mind, her wit, her essence remain, in spite of the fact that she views some past events differently, for example, her first husband.

Yesterday we went to see Wonder Woman 84 (mainly to placate my husband). I booked seats at Pauatahanui; last time we went the session was fully booked. This time I need not have bothered: there were only 5 other people there! My bad, Americas Cup Yacht Racing was live on free-to-air television (actually pre-racing, it goes on for months).

There were several things about this movie that bothered me. I know it’s fantasy, that Gail Gadot can’t really fly, but the American attitude to violence really disturbs me. America remains a violent country, one where violence seems to be condoned to some extent. What about martial arts? I practise Tai Chi, which, while great for breathing, balance, and relaxation, is fundamentally a martial art. I should like to think that I could use it in self-defence, should I need to.  The idea that you can have everything you want, also disturbs me. I didn’t think Gail Gadot’s love interest was nearly as good-looking as her! I realise it’s fantasy, but surely you can’t commandeer a private jet and fly to Egypt without a flight plan, checking the fuel gauge, some cooperation from flight control???  The attitude to smashing things up at the White House also disturbed me. I know this is all fake, but surely one should be careful about damaging precious things? 

I was reminded of the desecration in the US Capitol, and the lack of respect shown there. I’ve also seen scenes of the Trumps taking stuff out of The actual White House, which, I suppose, it to be expected.  The fake reality host reminded me of Trump; I suspect a lot of Americans have seen this movie. Over  the Christmas period there was a rerun of the movie Home Alone. The hurt and violence portrayed in this movie really upset me, and all the messages it sends. How can a family leave a child behind? I know I couldn’t. Why were they living in such a luxurious house (when so many don’t)?  There’s no justification for stealing, but things, rather than people, can always be replaced.

When we were last in the US in November 2017, corporal punishment had been re-introduced in a Charter School, in Georgia.  We went on a school trip with our granddaughter to a farm, quite some way away. They still have the iconic really old yellow buses that you see in movies. There are no seat belts.  There were real wasps, descending on the picnic lunches, and real smelly animals, but afterwards the children were taken on the back of a cart to see an array of their Disney heroes and heroines. This seemed to ne to be a total blurring of fact and fiction. It also explains a lot.

When we arrived in Houston, they had just had Hurricane Harvey, although we saw no sign of flooding. The night before we arrived, they had shootings in Las Vegas. 60 people were killed and 411 injured.  The shooter was an older white man, taking aim at people, who had gathered for a music festival, from his hotel bedroom.  There were major fires in California. And Jeffrey Weinstein had just been arrested, for multiple sexual assaults and raping of women.

We spent time in Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and Boston, Massachussetts. We could have been in three separate countries!

Some crazy stuff happens here too. Billy Te Kahika (of the Advance New Zealand Party, which garnered 60,000 votes in the recent General Election), led a protest in Auckland against lockdowns. But we don’t have a lockdown here! The police here are not routinely armed, but they have been armed in Christchurch here recently. Some dude took an axe to the Beehive recently – he was arrested by police.

Talking of odd things, we’ve received no mail the last few Saturdays. I had got used to receiving The Listener on Saturdays, and sometimes a copy  of the LRB. So I will go back to buying a copy of The Listener on Mondays, as I used to. There’s not much point in getting stuff delivered if it only turns up occasionally.

Coming back to the invasion of the US Capitol on January 6^th. There are even more disturbing features emerging about this caper.

• Mobsters, intending to kill Mike Pence, were only seconds away from him and his family; they also intended to kill Nancy Pelosi;
• Some Republican politicians seem to have invited guests and shown them around, although there were no formal tours because of Covid 19;
• In addition to Trump, Giuliani and Don Jr addressing the ”rally”, before the invasion, it seems that Mike Flynn, Roger Stone and Steve Bannon did their bit to stir up Trump supporters;
• “Possible role of Flynn, Stone, Bannon, Rudy & Don Jr in the Jan 6 Incident at US Capitol”, reads one Youtube heading (ABC news reporting).
• Panic buttons were unaccountably removed for some politicians;
• Some Republican politicians and Capitol police seem to have been involved on the side of the mob;
• Politicians and journalists were genuinely afraid for their lives, and didn’t know who to trust;
• One policeman was going to be shot with his own gun, by mobsters;
• Elizabeth Neuman has testified to the disturbing decision to not go after local white terrorism in the US.
• The FBI had warning about the January 6 rally, but failed to act on it appropriately, it seems;
• The lie that the Presidential Election last November was “rigged” persists, despite evidence to the contrary.

And so on and so on.

Security has been beefed up for the inauguration, but that still leaves the issue of who you can trust, given that there may well be traitors in the guards.  Parts of Washington are very difficult to access, and the Mall has been closed. You can’t get to the Lincoln Memorial. Other parts of the country are also heavily secured. Americans want some security, but surely not this heavy a presence. We went to an outdoor concert, and two markets in Cleveland in 2012, and we and others would have been sitting ducks had someone decided to “have a go” with an assault weapon.

Meanwhile there have been almost 400,000 deaths from Covid 19 in the US. Trump wants some kind of fanfare when he leaves the White House on the morning of January 20. Ah well, at least he’s leaving. Will there be a crowd to see him go, I wonder?

In New Zealand, there are alarming numbers of new Covid 19 infections in MIQ, with no community transmission detected at this stage. The yacht races are having all kinds of problems with weather, and boats struggling to rise on their foils, and some overturning – quite a sight. The winds are weird – either very light, or very strong. Climate change, anyone? 

Ngā mihi

It is now Thursday January 14^th. Kia ora katoa.

Still shocking. We are still shocked.  I am anxious, although trying not to be. I am reading a good novel at present: “Olive, Again”, by Elizabeth Strout. I read an earlier book, Olive Kitteridge. Olive is quite quirky. I enjoy her.

In recent days there has been a lot more information about the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th.  Jake Tapper talked about stochastic terrorism, and John Dickerson spoke about this violence being the physical manifestation of Trump’s remarks. The Democratically controlled House plans to impeach the President, again, quickly (done!).   Mitch McConnell says he cannot recall the Senate to hold a trial before Biden’s inauguration, but Neal Katyal pointed out that were a member of the Supreme Court to die, he’d have no trouble assembling them super quick. Republican representative Liz Cheney has said she will vote to impeach Trump (actually ten House Republicans voted to impeach him). He’s been impeached, a second time, “on incitement of insurrection”.

Mitch McConnell has indicated that impeachment would help “purge” the Republican Party of Donald Trump.  That is a very strong word to use.  Evidently he’s not taking Trump’s phone calls, and is furious that Trump has been a factor in his loss of his Senate majority, to say nothing of losing the presidency and a majority in Congress.

Republicans, it should be acknowledged, are divided on this, with some saying they would vote for impeachment; others seeing it as a divisive move, when Joe Biden is supposed to unite the country. The hypocrisy of this is simply astounding. So the invasion of the Capitol by an armed and violent mob wasn’t divisive? And, by the way, Biden did win the election! It wasn’t even close. Someone remarked that if a case for Trump’s winning the election had gone to the Supreme Court, then this mob may well have forced their way into the Supreme Court. Many republicans have received death threats and are jeered at, whatever side they’re on. Many have been derided for being in support of democracy.

A number of arrests have been made (70, as at today). This is all on film, so it shouldn’t be hard to identify people. Some, of course, were “ordinary people”, caught up in the movement. A Catholic priest berated his parishioners for voting for Biden, who is a practising Catholic!

There is evidence of further demonstrations; the FBI is trying to sort out real threats as opposed to “noise”. There is a lot of discussion on social media about intended displays of violence, although some of these platforms are being disabled. Security is being beefed up, not just in Washington, but at state capitols as well. The plot to kidnap and kill Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, is now seen as a shocking forerunner of what happened on January 6^th .

Some republicans, initially shocked by what happened, are now going back on their denunciations. Trump is blaming Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for the violence. It’s evident that republicans don’t think much of Vice President, Mike Pence: I have not heard one of them decry the shouts of “Kill Mike Pence”, and the noose that was erected to hang him.  This shocking scene has been reported on by many journalists.

Despite widespread terror and threats of future terror, people still support Trump. Unbelievable. He’s quite unrepentant., after all, he emerged to say it was Nancy Pelosi’s and Chuck Schumer’s fault.

So far three Democratic representatives have been diagnosed with Covid 19.

Yesterday (Tuesday in the US)  there was finally a press conference. It was given by the Michael Sherwin, acting US Attorney, joined by a silent FBI officer, six days after January 6^th’s deadly riot. Well, it was nice to hear from someone, I guess.

It has become evident that there were warnings to the FBI, that something big was going to happen; that warnings were ignored; that Trump reportedly was entranced by watching the scene unfold on television, blithe to the fact that people were getting hurt, and were in danger for several hours.  Over and over again he had piously warned against violence (“I am your president of law and order”): now he had the chance to stop it, he not only did nothing, he prevented authorising security forces and National Guard troops that would have made a difference! He showed that he has no respect for human life, the US Constitution, or elected representatives, or the outcome of elections, although he swore an oath to the US Constitution, (as did all republican lawmakers). I guess, in Trump’s case, promises are made to be broken.

To the rest of us, looking on with horror, democracy and democratic principles are very important. It’s important to have politicians speak the truth. And there are many important features we expect our government to deliver: reticulated water of high quality; good air quality; safe roads, pavements and bridges; appropriate food regulations, etc. In short, most people want to be safe. You are welcome to go “off the grid” if you wish, as long as you don’t endanger me or any of my loved ones.

It transpires that there’s been a lot of “noise”, about this insurrection, and future insurrections. It’s been a great move to disable some of these online platforms; it has slowed down the mob’s movements, to some extent, and left them searching for leadership.

Trump has given many warnings that he enjoys violence; some of these came well before his 2016 ascendancy to the presidency. One that stays most in my mind is a video of him hitting a golf ball at Secretary Hillary Clinton’s head. There have been many instances of his cruelty. How was this going to end?  Well, I think the world saw on January 6^th, when a Trump-supporting mob invaded the seat of Parliament, shouting “Stop the Steal” (i.e. the election that he lost). He claimed it was rigged. Even when he won in 2016 he claimed it was rigged. Well, it probably was. Many of us believe that he had Russian help, in fact Vladimir Putin admitted as much. Mueller said it Russian interference was still going on. It would be naïve to think that this is over.

It transpires that there were some amazing acts of bravery; that some mobsters consider their move successful; that in addition to pipe bombs, a noose, broken windows, and zip ties for arrests, there were faeces and urine left behind; if it had gone further, one wonders just what may have happened.  Politicians and journalists are describing scenes of terror, that went on for hours. One policeman has died, after being hit on the head with a fire extinguisher; another committed suicide, and another is likely to lose an eye. Surely there have to be consequences for this.

Meanwhile, security is big in Washington D.C. We just hope Biden’s inauguration goes smoothly. It seems a shame for Biden not to get a “proper” inauguration, but at least it will be memorable, against the backdrop of the two biggest wars of our time – against Trump, and his supporters, and against the coronavirus.

The coronavirus continues to shatter records with the daily numbers of people infected, and deaths. Countries that had previously done quite well, such as Ireland, are now in dire straits. The death rate in the US is over 4,000 a day (4,300 on Tuesday); in the UK, deaths pass 100,00 after 1,564 reported in one day.

In New Zealand, I am concerned. We have been fortunate; I just wonder how long that will last.  The government now requires everyone coming to New Zealand to have a negative Covid 19 test before they come; that should screen out some cases. The valiant MIQ workers aren’t scheduled to receive a vaccine until the end of March.  I feel sorry for them. They are doing valiant work, and should be recognised as such.

Ngā mihi.

Today is Sunday January 10^th. Kia ora katoa. Kia kaha!

The news just keeps coming.  I just heard a recording of the phone message Giuliani left for Tommy Tuberville, newly elected Senator for Alabama, except that it went to someone else instead. – another Senator, who shared it with a newspaper. This sought to delay the hearing to certify Biden’s election win, acknowledging that McConnell wanted to “rush it through”.

The person who sat in Nancy Pelosi’s chair and put his feet up on the desk has been arrested, as have some others. But there are many angry folk who claim that storming the Capitol was a success. Although Trump’s Twitter account has now been disabled for good, there is action on other social media sites, and the “war” carries on. Is there something in the air, that makes people so susceptible to lies? There’s no question that Trump, by failing to denounce cruel and evil actions, has given tacit approval to them, and enabled his followers.

Thinking further about Trump’s big moments, who can forget the Access Hollywood tape, and the Charlottesville March?

In the past 24 hours there have been over 4,000 deaths in the US from Covid 19.

This morning we spoke to our youngest son and his wife in the UK. His wife’s brother and his girlfriend have received positive diagnoses for Covid 19. So far, he is symptom-free and she has cold symptoms.  Of course we wish them well, and a speedy return to good health, but this is the closest Covid 19 has come to us, so far. Our daughter-in-law now hopes to be vaccinated mid-February.

The UK lockdown has is more severe now, and people are not permitted to go far from home. One feels for them in their not so spacious houses and grounds; in fact many of them live in small apartments, with common areas that now they aren’t allowed to access. The schools are mostly closed. 

Coming back to the US, we have been here before. Trump does something truly awful. It’s roundly condemned, and then people make excuses for him. Enough, already! There has already been violence, not exactly commanded explicitly by him, but certainly condoned by him and not frowned upon. There are extremely disturbing videos of scenes at the Capitol, including someone being crushed by a door, in pain; rioters shouting ”Sieg Heil”, and “Stop the steal!”, many wearing Nazi insignia,, and carrying Confederate flags.  Trump explicitly encouraged his supporters before the rally, telling them to march down Pennsylvania Avenue (but not joining them, himself). He stayed well away watching their progress, not allowing National Guard troops to secure the Capitol, and complaining that these folk didn’t look great!  They, in turn, feel let down by him. Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump junior also incited the mob advising violence – a “trial by combat”, said Giuliani.

Even after all the violence, when the Houses reconvened, some republican politicians had the gall to challenge Biden’s win, but didn’t get the votes to delay proceedings further by holding a debate.  Special denunciation goes Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, for their actions and support for the mobsters.

But more demonstrations are planned; some consider their actions on January 6^th a success, because they stopped the Houses working, and made elected politicians run for their safety.  This was terrifying, to us all, and must never happen again. Nevertheless, there are calls to bring arms (many did, to Washington), and to learn how to shoot. What price human life, huh? This is not over. Will it ever be?

“Our democratic institutions held firm”, crowed many; others thought they were actually pretty shaky, depending on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “do the right thing” despite death threats. Gabriel Sterling, another Georgia election official, also Republican, spoke out strongly, but had actually voted for Trump. Then on January 6^th, the democratic institutions  didn’t hold firm. There was a noose erected to hang Mike Pence, there were cries to hang Nancy Pelosi. Did Trump denounce these threats? He did not, not even for Pence, who has been his most loyal supporter. What Trump wanted Pence to do, to overthrow the outcome of the election, was not within his power.

There have been some high-profile resignations in the wake of these actions. From the Cabinet, Elaine Chao and Betsy de Vos have resigned, as has Mick Mulvaney, one of Trump’s former Chiefs of Staff (there’ve been a few). Two republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and now Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania have called on Trump to resign. There have been calls for Cruz and Hawley to resign.  A number of Police have resigned, including the Head of Capitol Police in Washington, DC. Nancy Pelosi has called for impeachment, failing invocation of the 25^th Amendment, which apparently Pence is not minded to do; it would have to be a swift impeachment…perhaps it will happen, and Trump will be removed from office and won’t be legally able to run again. And where is Stephen Miller, by the way?

I have called it “Storming the Capitol”, but a Yale professor argues that use of the term “storming” gives the invasion a certain glamour, like “Storming the Bastille”.  I have called Trump’s supporters mobsters; their action: rebellion, insurrection, a riot?  It was certainly violent, and terrifying. Riot doesn’t seem strong enough., nor does demonstration. Some of the mobsters called it a revolution; that seems a bit glamorous, too: it suggests rebelling against oppression. While most revolutions have sad outcomes, and certainly not the reforms so desperately sought, I don’t want to call this a revolution.  Insurrection is probably the best term. It was hardly a coup, or invocation of martial law, since troops were not involved; indeed their absence (at the hands of Trump), caused huge problems, and for the insurrection to carry on for several terrifying hours. This is not over, not by any means. Removing Trump from office would allow for suitable security at Biden’s inauguration, and may prevent further deaths, from violence, and from Covid 19.

More and more information keeps coming out. Immediately people asked Where was security? While Trump watched the illegal events on television, safe in the White House, withholding National Guard Troops to take control and restore order, it seems some of the few police on duty colluded with the mob.  Apparently of 1,200 police who are supposed to guard the Capitol, there were only 500 there, and none on horseback to prevent entry. Reporters say it is normally hard to get into the Capitol.  But mobsters broke down a reinforced glass door, and some carried restraints.  There was a great deal of violence and desecration, and several people were hurt; 5 died.

I remember that Elizabeth Neumann left her position at the Department of Homeland Security, as DHS Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy, concerned that domestic terrorism was receiving a blind eye from the White House administration. In that capacity, she was officially in charge of emerging threats — and had identified violence perpetrated by right-wing extremists as a major one. Surely this was an act of domestic terrorism, which should never have been allowed to happen. CBS’s Face the Nation programme discussed this, while not quite making this link.

This has been a bit muddly. I am still horrified by this incident. I despair at people who are, again, giving Trump a free pass; saying it would be improper to invoke the 25^th Amendment, because he’s not really “ill”?   Doo-lally?  That’s not unusual.  He’s a danger, even if he ceases to be president in a few days’ time. Look how much damage he has caused in the first 6 days of the New Year!  People are still saying “Happy New Year”, and yet this happens, and thousands continue to become infected, and die, from Covid 19 and its dangerous variants.  The Trans-Tasman travel bubble is again on the back-burner. The virus is having a good New Year; I doubt that anyone else is.

Ngā mihi nui.

Today is Saturday January 9^th 2021. Kia ora katoa.

After the horror of January 6, of the invasion of the US Capitol in Washington D.C. by a mob of Trump supporters, more and more facts are emerging about this shocking event, as the country’s journalists figure out what happened, and what may happen next.

It would be fair to say that people knew something was coming: Trump returned from Mara a Lago to address his crowd of supporters, who had long since arranged to hold a rally in Washington on this day.  What was surprising, was that Trump didn’t call martial law, something some of his advisers told him to do, and something many were afraid of; rather, there was little in the way of law enforcement, or police able to secure and take back control of the Capitol. Instead, the mob ran riot, causing a great deal of damage, much of it captured on film. It now seems clear that Trump arranged this, firstly by inciting the mob with lies, and then by not allowing release of federal National Guard troops until the disaster had been running for several hours.  Washington is not a state, and cannot call troops on its own say-so. Nevertheless, the lack of security around the Capitol was alarming. There have been suggestions that some police helped the mob, telling them where to go to locate certain offices.

I guess many of us thought Trump really is finished now: some Republicans came out against him; Barr accused him of “orchestrating” this infamous event; Biden was confirmed as President-elect, and there was talk of the 25^th Amendment to the Constitution being invoked to depose him, or impeachment; the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall St Journal (and others) called on him to resign.

But how many times have we thought Trump is surely finished, now, only to have him, Phoenix-like, re-emerge with Republican support?  I remember the Jim Comey firing; the meeting with Sergei Kislyak and Lavrov in the Oval Office,  that we found out about because Russian media reported it; the Mueller Report; the press conference in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin; the many times Trump has been a bumbling, inconsiderate oaf, called members of the armed services “suckers and losers”, I could go on and on. There are many instances. Finally, his four years are up, and the country elected Joe Biden to be their next president, despite the fact that he’s now 78 years old.  And now the clear result of that election is being contested by the president, and his supporteers egged on to commit violence. Oh, and did I mention the “shake down” phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State?

I have listened to many podcasts over the last two days, and learnt different details about what happened in Washington, from reporters who were there, to analysts discussing it. Although different details are supplied, a consistent message is relayed of shock, horror, disrespect by the mob, and fear of what may happen next. While many have laughed at Trump’s seeming chaotic incompetence, he has a certain reptilian cunning, a conman’s survival strategy, where he cares for no one but himself. He has always got away with things in the past.

Some of the points that emerged (in no particular order) are as follows:

• The invasion lasted several hours, and was terrifying.
• There were sounds of gunfire.
• Windows were broken, and other violence used to gain access through closed doors.
• Vice President Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were spirited away, but there was no mention of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
• There was anger at Mike Pence, no doubt inspired by Trump, who hoped (out loud) that Pence would “come through” for him, whereas Pence’s role was ceremonial.
• There were cries of “F*** Mike Pence”, “Stop the steal”, and a noose was erected for him.
• Despite this, Senator Ted Cruz said he’d do it all again.
• Senator Josh Hawley gave a thumbs up, and a fist-pump.  Simon and Schuster have stated they won’t publish his book.
• There have been suggestions that Antifa infiltrated the protesters, but none of them looked like Antifa, or like Black Lives Matter protesters.
• When law enforcement did arrive in strength, there was some tear gas and rubber bullets, but not nearly the level of aggression demonstrated to BLM protesters after George Floyd’s death.
• The storming of the Capitol and hiding away of politicians, many of whom (Republicans) refused to wear masks although these were given to them, may well have created a super-spreader event for Covid 19.
• Everyone is shocked that Nancy Pelosi’s office was desecrated.
• Many of the mob evidently knew their way around.
• Many photographs were taken. Some were wearing T-shirts saying “Camp Auschwitz”; others wore anti-Semitic shirts saying 6MWE (6 million wasn’t enough)
• Trump is now on his best behaviour, after seeing the shocked reaction to what happened. I do hope people aren’t taken in by this.
• Now that Trump has condemned the violence, many of his supporters feel let down, and that he has “thrown them under the bus”.
• As at today, 5 people died in the violence, including a police officer, who was hit on the head with a fire extinguisher. He later died from his injuries.
• At least 2 IED’s were found in the Capitol building. The level of mess and destruction is unbelievable.
• Kelly Loefler was going to object to the Georgia presidential election results, but thought better of it. Just as well, too, seeing she lost her run-off election.

Anyway, that’s just a handful of details. Consequences are still being determined. Apparently some arrests have been made: this shouldn’t be hard, given that the thugs weren’t trying to be anonymous. Some of them wore truly weird costumes. Americans just love to dress up. The Congress is taking steps to impeach Trump, again, while excuses are being made not to invoke the 25^th Amendment. There are now less than two weeks to go until Biden’s inauguration on January 20^th, but what damage can Trump do in that time? Twitter enabled his account after 12 hours, but has now disabled it, permanently, thank goodness.  Although he’s been called upon to resign, I can’t see that happening.

Evidently Trump has said he won’t attend Biden’s inauguration. Biden says that’s the first time he’s agreed with Trump!  I do hope they have great security for Biden’s inauguration. Trump’s supporters (Trump’s mob) are planning events for January 17 and January 20. They already had other events on January 6^th. That’s really scary. Hope and pray.

The coronavirus marches on, particularly devastating the US and the UK.

Bye for now. There’s bound to be more about these events. Ngā mihi.

Today is Friday January 8^th. Kia ora katoa! Kia kaha!

Here are some nice quotations from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. I managed to find a second hand copy, in good condition.

America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

On my arrival in the United States I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent amongst the subjects, and so little among the heads of the government.

I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.

Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.

Well, what an eventful few days it has been! The infamous “shake down” phone call by Trump to Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State of Georgia; the Georgia run-off election, where two Republican senators were up against two Democratic candidates: a black man, Raphael Warnock, and a Jewish man, Jon Ossoff, and both democratic candidates won; and then the alarming storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters; meanwhile, in spite of all the drama, Biden was decreed to be President-elect and Kamala Harris Vice President-elect.

This has all been shocking and ironic.  Everyone, i.e. most if not all commentators and comedians, were deeply shocked by Trump’s phone call to Raffensperger, which went on for almost an hour. Evidently Trump had tried to call him 18 times. All he wanted, really, was 11,000 Republican votes.  He just needed Raffensperger to “find” them for him. Shocking and alarming as this was, it served as a prelude of what was to come.

On January 5^th there were the Georgia run-off elections, for two senators.  This was predicted to be a knife-edge election, with most expecting that the Republican candidates, Kelly Loefler (“I’m further to the right than Attila the Hun”) and David Purdue, would win. However Republican infighting, including some very mixed messaging about voting being a waste of time, meant we were in for a pleasant surprise. Watching the results come in on the evening here of January 6^th, the republicans had an early lead, but before the evening was over Warnock was declared winner over Loefler, with the race between Ossoff and Purdue too close to call. The next day, Ossoff was declared the winner of his race, thus ensuring that Trump and the Republican Party had lost the presidency, and the Congress and the Senate, albeit by very close margins. Still, they’ll be able to do a great deal more than if they had been hampered by McConnell remaining leader of the Senate.  The result was an upset in many ways, McConnell’s loss of his role as Senate Majority leader being an important one. Linsey Graham loses his role as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also very significant.

The next day, January 6^th (Thursday January 7^th our time) “will go down in infamy” as the day Trump’s mob stormed the Capitol.

But before we get on to that, Biden has named Merrick Garland as his nominee for Attorney General, and Gina Raimondo, Governor of Rhode Island, for Secretary of Commerce. One of the hacks will be pleased, Mike Murphy advocated her for Vice President!

I also listened to Chuck Rosenberg of “the Oath” speaking to Mike Bush, former Police Commissioner of New Zealand, saying very nice things about New Zealand, and noting with some surprise that the police here are not routinely armed.  Mike Bush stressed that the police are here to serve the people. What a radical notion! I also saw a video of Jacinda Ardern answering questions at a forum at Harvard university. We are so proud of her, with good reason. Here, we trust the government to select an appropriate vaccine for the coronavirus, and to run a suitable program for delivering it. I’m sure I will get a text message, letting me know when I can book a time to receive it.

One podcast I listened to had a guest heading off to reread about the events surrounding the Reichstag fire. This was prescient, as it turned out, presaging the Next Big Thing: that on January 6^th (Thursday here) the US Congress and Senate, in sessions chaired by Mike Pence, were to certify Joe Biden’s win. Meanwhile Trump, refusing to accept that he had lost the election, was encouraging his supporters who had arranged a demonstration in Washington. He had returned from Mar a Lago for this. He also asked Mike Pence not to let him down, to come through for him.

I had to go out on Thursday. I heard during the morning that a mob had stormed and taken control of the Capitol building, causing an uproar. There was great confusion. I listened to speeches by McConnell and Pence, which were all right, I suppose; then I heard they had been taken to safety; then I heard that both chambers, and journalists, were in lockdown; one video said there had been confusion, but everything was fine now; another said all was panic and confusion.  World leaders (not Russia) condemned this action, including the Foreign Minister of Turkey, hardly a bastion of democracy. It seemed that there was minimal security in the capitol, for this “invasion” to have taken place; much of it was captured on film, of course.

Initial reactions showed police being far gentler on the mob than they were on Black Lives Matter protesters. Biden eventually spoke, very well, I thought. Finally Trump sent a message recorded on video, saying the violence should stop, but failing to condemn the protesters: we love you, he said, and repeated the lie that he had won the election. It’s interesting that Trump has no empathy whatsoever for those who have suffered loss and made sacrifices: he’s shown that time after time. Instead, he empathises with people like his violent supporters. A curfew was called in Washington.

In the midst of all this excitement (many Republican congressmen and senators led by Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley were planning to object to Biden’s certification, an exercise which was doomed to fail, we were told), we had to  go out.

We had lunch at the Royal Wellington Golf Club, at Heretaunga. Lunch was fairly basic: you could select from a small range of sandwiches and cakes, or have something cooked, like fish and chips or toasted sandwiches. They did have a coffee machine. The dining room is as I remembered it; what a lovely setting it is; what a nice, peaceful venue.

Then we drove to Te Marua, where I went to a birthday party and played two games of Scrabble.  We discussed Trump, US politics, and vaccines; someone there said that the 25^th amendment was being considered for Trump.

When I got home, I tried to catch up with the news. As I learnt more, I became more alarmed, and more devastated. Jacinda Ardern was shocked, as were we all.

Ultimately the violence was self-defeating: Biden’s election was confirmed, although there was some resistance to that.

There are huge consequences, as we learn more and more about these events, how they came about, some of what happened, and some surprising outcomes. One of the best is that Twitter has banned Donald Trump’s twitter handle; and Facebook has banned him permanently. More about the fallout next time.

The coronavirus marches on, despite these distractions, killing hundreds of people (365,000 in the US). Ngā mihi.