July 2020

North East combating Corona virus.

The New York Times reports today that 6 of the 11 States with flat or falling case levels are in the Northeastern corridor. The northeast became serious about masks and social distancing earlier than the rest of the country, and following these practices is more common as well.

A professor js quoted as saying, " In New England and the Northeast it's easier to say, 'let's put on a mask and lock down, we are all in this together.' It's this reservoir of belief that the government exists to be good."

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Navy vet hit by baton trying to talk with federal agents in Portland.

Let's spend a moment to think about and honor Christopher David. He is the navy veteran and Naval Academy graduate upset by unjustified use of force by the federal agents in Portland. He took a bus to the area where they were to ask them how they reconciled what they were doing with their oath to defend the Constitution. He was wearing a navy jersey.


Instead of getting an answer Mr. Davis was beaten with a baton and pepper sprayed. His right hand is now broken. In a different way from Colonel Vindman, he is another hero of these times.


Please join me,...

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Header A very busy friend helps us with shopping

A Chinese friend from Wuhan asked me this morning on we chat how I was doing with the pandemic. I told him what we were doing, including that we were getting together over zoom with friends and also getting help from community members. He then wrote back that having friends and community support is very important in this time. I noted to him that one person who has been doing some shopping for us is a neighbor who is a Harvard professor and former senior Obama administration official. She obviously has a lot of other things to do, but has been very proactive about helping us with food... Read more about Header A very busy friend helps us with shopping

Dramatic increase in shootings in New York

The New York Times reports today that the number of shootings in New York is up from 396 at this point last year to 632 this year. This is a very dramatic rise. Compared to last year the number of arrests is down 62%. Some of this is due to more police out sick with Coronavirus, but it seems certain that some has to do with hesitation about policing interventions. Whatever the causes, at the minimum this supports the idea, which obviously makes common sense, that the police do deter crime and that defunding the police would be a disaster.

The trump campaign has already produced an...

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Supreme Court says president not above the law, unlike in China.

In his decision on the trump taxes case, Justice Kavanaugh stated a longstanding American legal principle, "In our system of government, as this court has often stated, no one is above the law. That principle applies, of course, to a president." Note to Chinese (and American) friends, the Chinese government often talks about the rule of law, but they mean something completely different, namely that people should obey the laws. So they will argue that political protests in Hong-Kong violate the rule of law. It would be inconceivable in China for a court to order president Xi to do something he... Read more about Supreme Court says president not above the law, unlike in China.