Clear and Present Danger Requires Action

We are living in a time of clear and present danger. A danger to our institutions. To our democracy. To individuals who oppose and criticize our next duly elected president who will have at his disposal powers heretofore thought to be finite but in light of a Supreme Court decision now are infinite, unencumbered even by the Constitution, supreme powers to enact his wishes and exact his revenge. 

Almost daily Donald Trump or one of his henchmen, some possibly with forthcoming Senate approval for top level administration jobs such as heads of our legal and law enforcement systems, promise retribution against those who challenged Trump’s actions. 

It does not matter if the cases against them are whimsical. Responding to federal inquiries and indictments requires legal representation. Resulting legal fees can easily bankrupt an accused. 

The argument that President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter might embolden Trump to pardon those convicted of January 6 crimes is ludicrous. Clearly anyone espousing such a belief has not paid attention to what Trump has been saying for months. He views them as patriots, not insurrectionists. He was going to free them regardless of Biden’s action. He has to, to solidify his hold on the extreme conspiracy theorists who are foundational parts of his base.

Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. Trump has hinted at declaring martial law to quell protests. Sounds crazy and extreme, no? But look no further than to one of our strongest allies, South Korea, and see that presidents can easily deny individual rights in their quest to exert unconstrained power. Though South Korea’s legislature quickly voted to lift the proclamation, and the president complied, it would be problematic to expect the Republican controlled House and Senate to reverse Trump. 

So, was Biden hasty in pardoning his son? Was he abusing presidential authority and precedent? Was he encouraging Trump to act injudiciously? 

No, on all counts. Biden’s presidency saved lives with an effective Covid policy. He restored American international relations. His economic and infrastructure programs reduced inflation, prompted job creation and began much needed investments in new manufacturing and repairs or replacement of outdated, dilapidated public works. 

Trump has changed the character of government. It is backward to hold Biden to standards his immediate predecessor and immediate successor did and will practice. 

Three weeks ago on November 14 I called for Biden to extend pre-emptive pardons to all those expected to be on Trump’s retribution list. The other day, John Dean of Watergate notoriety expressed similar thoughts. Thursday night The New York Times reported “Biden Team Considers Blanket Pardons Before Trump’s Promised ‘Retribution’” (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/us/politics/biden-trump-pardons.html?smid=em-share). HuffPost carried a similar article Friday morning.

Momentum is building. It must be driving Trump crazy to helplessly watch his reign of vengeance potentially dissipate before his bloodthirsty eyes.

Non Political Musings

“Location, Location, Location” is the mantra in real estate, whether it be where to place a store or where to buy a home. Recently I’ve been amused by several location-based news stories.

From a posting on my residential association news feed:

“Sadly the store in Scarsdale called DAISO 

next to Amazing Savings is closing December 7, 2024.  I found it to be a unique fun store. If you have never been, you might want to take a run inside for holiday gifts etc.”

Now, ordinarily I would not find notice of a store closing to be a source of amusement. But Daiso is a Japanese -owned store. December 7 is not the best of dates to elicit feelings of sympathy for the Japanese company.  

By the way, Japan is 13 hours ahead of New York time. So when the Daiso in Scarsdale closes for the last time at 9 pm on Saturday, December 7, it will be Sunday in Tokyo. Hmmm… 

Naming Rights: On a family trip to Israel in 1990, Gilda struck up a conversation with the younger man sitting next to her. He introduced himself as Brad Berger, to which Gilda replied, “We live on the street named after you, Brad Lane.” 

Brad’s father, Martin Berger, was a cofounder of Robert Martin Company, a diversified real estate development company. Martin’s partner was Robert Weinberg.

The subdivision we live in was built in 1966, one of the first Robert Martin residential projects before the company became the premier developer of office park complexes in Westchester. 

There are three streets inside our development off Saxon Woods Road: Romar Avenue (obviously named after Robert and Martin); Teramar Way (for years I assumed this one block street was named for Terri and Martin, but I can find no record of a Terri Berger); and Brad Lane, named for the aforementioned Brad Berger who was 10 at the time our house was built. 

My musings about street names was prompted by an article in The New York Times appropriately titled, “How Do New Streets Get Their Names (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/30/realestate/naming-streets.html?smid=em-share). 

 

One of the rules contained in the article (for those who didn’t bother to link) is that street names should not be duplicated in a community so emergency services or just plain delivery drivers would not be confused. 

There is, however, another Teramar Way listed in White Plains, with houses built in 1964. Its houses are technically in Greenburgh, just off Tarrytown Road, but are listed as having a White Plains address. More than once a deliveryman has brought an unsolicited meal or package to one of the homes on our development’s Teramar Way.

It’s a minor inconvenience, seemingly impossible to resolve. To no avail city officials have been asked for a street name change. 

Travel Time: Somehow my Facebook feed knows I will be traveling to Argentina’s Patagonia region because I keep getting ads for sweaters, socks and gloves made with alpaca fibers. 

“Did the World Need a Hot Santa? It Got One Anyway.”

That was the headline of a Times article December 1, with an email explanation that “A new series of ads from Target features Kris K., a “weirdly hot” version of the beloved character, continuing a trend of spicing up holiday favorites (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/style/target-hot-santa-ads.html?smid=em-share).

Since many Christmas songs were written by Jewish composers (“White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” to name just a few), I wonder if Jewish marketing mavens will pass up the opportunity to sex-up Hanukkah promotions? Can’t you visualize a buff, curly-haired Judah the Maccabee in gladiator-style skirt and armored top pitching silver menorahs, with candle wax dripping down his muscular legs? 

Well, enough stimulation. Twenty more days till Hanukkah and that other festive holiday. 

Bravo, Joe Biden. Now Issue More Pardons

 Bravo, President Biden for taking a rational and rightful action Sunday in issuing a “full and unconditional pardon” to his son Hunter, thus shielding him from what was expected to be a vicious attack by Donald Trump’s administration following inauguration day. 

Now, Biden has 50 more days to issue countless more pardons to officials and politicians who Trump has disparaged “to avoid Russian-style show trials … to chop off Trump’s vile retribution action before it can poison our nation,” as I wrote November 14. 

Much of Biden’s legislative and diplomatic legacies Trump will try to dismantle. Trump has already shown he does not abide by the rule of law, has no devotion to institutions foreign and domestic, has no boundaries in his demeanor and execution of personal aggrandizement. 

My list of those Biden should pardon is not meant to be exhaustive. But it is worth repeating here:

Special counsel Jack Smith and his entire legal team;

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her legal team; 

Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss; 

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; 

New York Attorney General Letitia James;

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg;

New York Judge Juan Merchan;

Attorney General Merrick Garland; 

Retired generals, admirals and cabinet members who criticized Trump, including  John Kelly, Mark A. Milley, James Mattis, H.R. McMaster, Stanley McChrystal, Mark Esper, Mike Mullen, James Stavridis;

Former diplomats, law enforcement and intelligence officials including John Bolton, John Brennan, James Robert Clapper Jr., James Comey, Susan Rice; 

Witnesses against Trump including Cassidy Jacqueline Hutchinson, Alexander Vindman; 

Former Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger;

Former Vice President Dick Cheney;

Senator-elect Adam Schiff; 

Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin; Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton;

Dr. Anthony Fauci;

Former President Barack and Michelle Obama;

Hunter Biden;

James and Francis Biden;

And finally, Himself.