Why the Handmaid's Tale Didn't Click With Me

 Around spring of last year (as Covid started up) I ended up watching 2.5 episodes of Handmaid's Tale.

About twenty minutes into episode one....I just started asking myself how any of this landscape occurred and went back to a written piece to explain this.

For your benefit, I'll describe this 'world' in this way....things crapped out in America because of a civil war (you are never sure over how this was triggered), climate change and sexual diseases (not Covid, if you were curious).

So you have a new government in charge, and it seems to be run mostly by men....who are extremely doctoral (I didn't say Hitler-like but you get this impression).

Life is pretty simple....guys luck out and get very submissive women for the most part.  This part of the landscape is not really explained well....they just want you to assume this side of the story.

These women aren't in charge of anything.....nor do they do much except make men happy.    The guys?  They all seem to be Army-minded and driven to be part of some dictator-chaos.

Somehow.....all of this leads back to the Bible, and women are used for multiple marriages.

So the acting?  I would suggest that it's mostly soap opera acting.....with some script to get you through 40 minutes of some Bible-Hitler soap opera.

At the mid-point of episode three....I just said enough and quit. 

Women who get into this?  The only reason I can see is that they get all hyped up over the script being sexual in nature, and they keep thinking that something will occur to destroy the regime, with a whole bunch of guys dead in the end.

Observations

 1.  Menthol cigarettes' going away?  

Yes.  But it's a curious thing....as they are banned, it's now been suggested that the most smoked brands of cigarettes among blacks....are the menthol type.  So you have to wonder.....will blacks adapt or will this just create more confrontations between the police and blacks?

2.  This suggestion by Senator McConnell about three or four GOP Senators running for President in 2024?

Well, they may have some pocket money by the Mitch-PAC to launch in 2023 with some speeches in Iowa, but as 2024 arrives....the three or four will be out of race.  

3.  I noticed in business news....Goggle is talking up a training program they will run, with ex-convicts.  For some reason, I just don't see this being successful.

4.  The quote from President Biden: “There’s no reason the blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing."

I've paused over this and rendered a fair amount of thought.  Cost-wise, even if you don't count the shipping cost....the Chinese-made blade would probably be 30-percent the cost of the Pittsburgh blade.  Most of this is based on cheap labor, cheap healthcare, and low regulation patterns for safety and the environment.  I admit....shipping probably adds ten-percent onto the cost.  But in the end, China can make the blade for half the cost.

Who is talking to Joe and convincing him of this bogus comparison?  

9-1-1 as a 'Product'

 In the past week, I saw this discussion taking place....where folks were talking about the impact of calling 9-1-1, getting the police out to handle an immediate problem, and how chaotic situations are multiplying.

I grew up in a fairly rural area of NW Alabama in the 1960s/1970s, and frankly....the only occasion where my dad called the sheriff for an issue.....was the theft of a saddle.  That was it.  

If you drew a circle around the farm for five miles.....sheriff got called to handle drunks who whacked mailboxes....cattle who'd broken out of the fenced areas....threats by drunks on kin-folks....and cheating husbands who'd been kicked out of their house.  That was mostly it.

If I'd gone to the nearest urbanized area (20 miles away, the county seat)....the police force mostly handled traffic accidents....an occasional house-break-in....Halloween toilet-paper rolls....college dorm parties that got out of control....and one or two murders a year which were mostly where one relative cut-up or shot another relative. 

In the 1990s....things probably progressed up two or three notches.  Drugs played a major part in this.

Occasionally, you'd start to notice that you had a bad cop, or a cop who was tied to the drug scene themselves.  

In the past twenty years....in this rural region....9-1-1 gets called a fair bit.  Murders occur in the rural county on a regular basis, and mostly all connect back to some usage of drugs.  Home break-in's are way up....compared against the 1980s.....but a lot of these are worthless items stolen (a 8-year old chainsaw, a $300 6-year old mower, prescription drugs worth $100).  

If you go to some place like Memphis, Atlanta or Knoxville....there's probably thirty 9-1-1 calls (from each city) from Friday night to Monday morning....where a wild situation is being described by the caller (maybe at some bar or hotel), and the police are told ahead of time.....this is just not a 'safe' situation they are driving into.  

A lot of these calls relate to an argument that has arisen from the wife or ex-wife, and the potential threat from a husband/ex-husband....who might be drugged-up or a bit drunk.  

Maybe politicians don't think in this manner.....but 9-1-1 calls have become a product that is depended upon by society to a great degree.

Rural areas now affected?  I would suggest since the 1980s....most all rural areas are affected by the 9-1-1 calls, and more usage of drugs.  Police are affected by this.  You could get twenty calls from the 9-1-1 team over a week, and might luck out that they were accident-related, or lost kids.  But as each one of these violence-prone calls occurs.....you get drawn into more of these threat situations, and just keep wondering.....will you walk into a mess where you have to shoot some kid dead because of a stupid threat, or the kid holding a knife while under the influence of drugs? 

Improving?  No....that's the one part of this situation....it can only get worse.  

Can You Gerrymander in 2021/2022?

 It appears that around eight states will have to redraw district lines in the next 18 months, with some losing a district in the state, and some gaining a district.  

So, here's the chief problem....up until 2016, you could be pretty sure about the voting tendency in various towns and counties....leading the guy to draw the lines being confident that he could make the new lines iron-clad for the Democrats....or Republicans.

Now?  You have to wonder about the voting tendency from 2016 and 2020, and ask yourself how sure the lines can be.

In some cases....particularly Florida....it's going to be awful hard to redraw the lines and ensure Democratic districts stay Democratic.  

The odds of court challenges delaying the district drawings?  I would suggest virtually all of the states in the redrawing business will face court action.  

Joe Biden's Speech

 I sat this morning and watched the 'tape'.  So my five observations:

1.  On a couple of rare occasions, the camera crew screwed up and showed the audience seating....with about fifty-percent of the seats empty.  It was rare, but it just left you with an odd feeling.

Now, I will say this....if you'd handed me a ticket to the 'show'.....because of Covid....I would have turned the ticket down myself.

2.  Alertness of Joe Biden?  I would probably give him a '9'.  There was no stumble with the speech.

3.  Joe did hype getting vaccinated.  Odds of this speech topic making any difference?  Zero.

4.  Joe did talk about 'bread crumbs'.....police reform, immigration reform, more taxes on evil corporations, drug pricing reform, etc.  But it was mostly chatter and no serious suggestions on how things would go.

5.  Mostly a 'shopping-list'?  Well....yeah.  A year from now, you can drag up the hour-long speech and ask what actually got done, and it's probably less than 10-percent of what he chatted over.

As for how many Americans watched the speech?  I have my doubts that he got more than a quarter of Americans to watch.  I would categorize myself as having mostly zero interest in any SoTU speech...mostly because nothing ever gets done.  

Privilege Chatter

 For a number of months, I've been hearing the expression 'white privilege'.  I've had various descriptions attached to it, and at least grasp what the intended phrase is supposed to mean.

Today, I had the expression 'black privilege' tossed in front of me.

What's it supposed to mean?  Well....as it was explained....you have a black dude who has crossed the line and committed a couple of crimes (not misdemeanors).  So when he's finally arrested and charged up.....there's enough there for five or six serious charges, and probably twenty years of prison.  But when the prosecutor gets done on deals.....it's down to one or two charges and three years of prison time (take off six months of that for good behavior).

The lawyer for the black dude tells him over and over.....he's 'lucky'.  

So after 2.5 years, he gets out of prison....discovers he's not hirable material, and drifts back to crime.  Three or four years pass, and he's got another couple of crimes under his belt, and now getting police interest for another round of court action. 

The prosecutor repeats the 'deal-business' and there's only one or two crimes.....with three years of prison.  

The defense lawyer again repeats the phrase....man, you were lucky.

So around age 35....this guy gets out of prison (2nd visit) and discovers it's real hard to get a job, and immediately drifts back into some crime.  A year or two later....cops arrive and charge up the guy.  Third 'strike'?  Well....now there's no talk of a deal.  You get the full situation....life in prison because of the third strike business.

Things I've Learned in the Past Year or Two

 1.  If paying for something and my bill appears to be counterfeit....rectify the situation real quick....find a 'good' bill before 'Timmy-the-clerk' calls the cops.

2.  If the cops pull up to my car and approach....don't swallow the fentanyl pill. 

3.  If the cops pull up to my party at the house....quickly make everyone at the party respectful of the police....remove knives from any guest...and ensure whatever problem started the call....to be resolved.

4.  I'd disassociate myself from quick-to-overreact people....who carry knives or pistols.

5.  If I have to call 911.....I need to put myself into a safe quiet place until the police arrive.

6.  I need to continually think....once the 911-lady calls for the police and note there might be a guy there with a warrant for his arrest....this might turn pretty violent in a matter of 10 seconds or less.  Police might not figure I'm just a innocent bystander.

7.   Hanging around people who do opioids, LSD, crack, fentanyl....increases the odds of a bad moment with the police and potential death occurring.

8.  Finally, once some crowd gets hyped-up and burns down half an entire neighborhood....no one comes around to help rebuild what was done.  So staying in such a friendly location is not an option.