All posts by Rondi Adamson
Thoughts on That Election
For my left-leaning friends losing their minds and blaming all the wrong things and all the wrong people, give a thought to Italy and all the years when Berlusconi kept winning. He kept winning because the Italian left failed to offer an appealing alternative and because he talked about things Italians cared and worried about while the opposing parties talked about luxury beliefs and luxury concerns. Sound familiar? No, it wasn’t misogyny or bigotry that brought Trump to power. I am not saying there aren’t bigots or sexists among his supporters, but he won from a broad coalition of races and backgrounds. Please remember that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016. Americans would be happy to elect a woman – just not Kamala Harris.
To her credit, Harris did not make her candidacy about her gender the way that Clinton did. I admired her for that. But she did some dreadful things – among them, throwing Israel under the bus to get Muslim votes in Michigan, the great irony being that Trump won the Muslim vote in Michigan. She also made her candidacy about celebrities (for this Julia Roberts-narrated ad alone the Democrats deserved to lose) and superficial nonsense – joy! – while Trump, for all his many flaws, talked about jobs and the economy and the unfortunate prevalence of woke-ism. And yes, he talked about crazy stuff, too, because that is who he is.
I am glad the victory was decisive, though honestly, were I American I think I would have written in a third name. I worry about Ukraine, given Trump’s comments on the matter, though Harris was not much better. (I have said previously that I feel like no one, regardless of party or affiliation, wants anyone to win a war anymore.) That said, when I saw the pogrom nightmare unfolding in Amsterdam a couple of nights ago I will admit to feeling relief at the election outcome. I will also admit to thinking that, while I am a huge believer in NATO, Trump is absolutely right that Europe needs to start paying their share. Do they even care about their future? One must wonder.
A good discussion on the election outcome over at the Free Press and a good, if massively depressing discussion about Amsterdam at Call Me Back.
The Animals Are Done With Us
Train cancelled in UK After Squirrel Refuses to Disembark.
Actually, the poor wee fella was scared – and there is a happy ending. He got off the train at Reading. Gotta love the Brits.
A Couple of Good (Old) Stories
Just a really great piece from the New York Times (yes, I said it!). I’m not a yard sale person, but I would totally attend this yard sale. What is great about the writing, above all, is that there is nothing contemptuous about the tone. One might expect a paper such as the NYT to take such an attitude, but thankfully, they saw a refreshing wonderful story and went with it. And while I’m at it, also from the NYT, a really fascinating look at Israel’s 21st century Trojan Horse, those grim beepers they used to take out a good percentage of Hezbollah’s, er, “staff.” (Yes, both of these features are from a few weeks ago – one gets distracted.)
Quincy Jones
My Latest…
…at my Substack. About songs and Hallowe’en and elections and other stuff.
Ink Stained Wretches – Wow!
Super thrilled – my Wall Street Journal column about the horrors of “impact” and “impactful” got a mention on one of my favourite podcasts, the Ink Stained Wretches! I am pleased, to say the least. I had written to Chris Stirewalt and Eliana Johnson – the show’s clever hosts – because Stirewalt had stated a couple of weeks ago that the word “impactful” should, more often than not, be replaced with “effective.” So true! Anyway, they read my email and linked to my column. By the way, if you are interested in media, in the news about the news, you can’t go wrong with the Wretches. (We need a Canuck version, stat.) Other podcasts I enjoy: Commentary, Call Me Back, Andrew Sullivan’s Dishcast, The Tudor Chest and Conversations with Tyler (Cowen). That was not a complete list, but I only have so much space here. I must be getting old because I find podcasts a much better accompaniment to a walk than music, though I love music. With music, I often start walking to the beat and can get dangerously distracted. Not good when you should be paying attention to traffic lights.
Grim Anniversary
Today marks one year since the Hamas attacks on Israel. I wrote about it here. (I also wrote about St. Francis of Assisi here.)
BHL’s “Israel Alone”
I wrote about BHL’s new book on my Substack a while back – I read it in French and I wanted to let those who are interested know it is now available in English. Strongly recommend, if you care about the survival of the Jewish people, of Israel – as I do – and if you are disgusted – as I am – with the hatred of Jews and Israel and the absolute morally bankrupt madness that we have seen since October 7th.
A Quote Worth Thought
Your life is your life. Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission. Be on the watch. There are ways out. There is light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness. Be on the watch. The gods will offer you chances. Know them. Take them. You can’t beat death but you can beat death in life, sometimes. And the more often you learn to do it, the more light there will be. Your life is your life. Know it while you have it. You are marvelous. The gods wait to delight in you. – Charles Bukowski