We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
It smells pretty bad. Does it matter politically? I don't know. People are inured to Dems finding ways to get rich through politics. Seems more typical for Repubs to make money first, then to get into politics as a hobby or as a give-back.
As Goodwin states, this is only China. No doubt the graft and corruption includes Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan and probably every other country where Air Force Two touched down between 2009 and 2016, or where a US government aircraft unloaded that gibbering, corrupt pervert and his son in the former's capacity as a Senator and official American envoy since 1973.
Wildfire is essential to many Western ecosystems. It's natural. Fire suppression leads to greater fires. No forest management can replace the good that fire does. Not so good for loggers or people in living in fire zones though. Just for ecosystems.
Time will tell. I am not sure what the campaign is about this year. Not clearly defined, because Trump has already solved many of the problems. Seems as if Trump is running on "America" and Biden is running on "Bad Orange Man Made Virus."
This way of thinking isn’t just an idiosyncrasy of Weiss’. It is typical of someone in the throes of a strong cognitive dissonance that he or she cannot easily resolve. She hates Trump, but hates the danger on the left as well. What to do?
... the “psychiatric evaluations” that took up the next 40 pages were in response to a question that Fact sent to the nation’s psychiatrists from a list supplied by the American Medical Association: “Do you believe Barry Goldwater is psychologically fit to serve as President of the United States?” Ruth Adams of New York replied that she saw in the GOP candidate “a strong identification with the authoritarianism of Hitler, if not identification with Hitler himself,” and other responding psychiatrists echoed that theme. “I believe Goldwater has the same pathological make-up as Hitler, Castro, Stalin and other known schizophrenic leaders,” wrote Chester M. Johnson, Jr., of Long Beach, while Philadelphia’s Paul Fink observed that, like the Führer, the Republican nominee “appeals to the unconscious sadism and hostility in the average human being.” G. Templeton, of Glen Cove, New York, warned that “if Goldwater wins the Presidency, both you and I will be among the first into the concentration camps.”
Goldwater was a victim of media assassination, but the fact remains that he ran a terrible campaign.
“In late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained insight into Russian intelligence analysis alleging that U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to Putin and the Russians' hacking of the Democratic National Committee.”
A campaign dirty trick became a CIA/FBI scandal. Mind-boggling.
That 3 generations could have spanned almost the entirety of the US' existence is rather astounding. Yet it is a fact, there is still one of John Tyler's grandchildren left alive.
I first learned two were alive many years ago when an article about this arcane bit of Americana went viral. It's great trivia, but easily forgotten. Yet one of them died, so the trivial knowledge was revived.
What I find just as interesting is the Gardiner name, which the recently deceased held. John Tyler had married a Gardiner daughter. The Gardiners deserve a bit of study. If you have the time I recommend looking them up, and reviewing the history of their island - Gardiner's Island - off the coast of Long Island. Mrs. Bulldog and I were out on the East End last weekend (lovely weekend on Block Island) and the topic of Gardiner's Island was something we began discussing and started reading about. The family (particularly the last "Lord of the Manor") have an intriguing and eccentric history...as does the island itself.
Fire Experts Say Western States 
THE 
NYC photo from a reader 
Will the Cultural Revolution Be Canceled? 
Don’t Defend Columbus—Celebrate Him.