To the Nice Folks at WaPo Redux...

 Top of the evening to all...

Back in January, numerous news organizations reported that then-President Trump had put substantial pressure on the Secretary of State in Georgia to find illegal votes.  Someone in the know leaked the contents of a phone call between the two people.

Yesterday, the Ides of March, the Washington Post published a long correction, stating therein that Mr. Trump had been misquoted.  On the one hand, there is a difference between a misquote and a fabrication.  On the other hand, at least they published a correction.

The late Senator from the State of New York and former US Ambassador to the United States Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said that we are all entitled to our own opinions.  We are not entitled to our own facts.  With great respect to Mr. Moynihan, I would add that inventing facts does not actually create facts.

When I wrote about this back in October, I wrote that "democracies require tenacious, nosy, and noisy reporters as a check on absolute power."  The Washington Post deserves partial credit here.  They got one out of three.  They were certainly noisy.  However, being overly noisy ultimately cannot hide the failure to be overly nosy.  Being overly noisy cannot turn pure laziness into tenacity.

One out of three is bad, and quite disappointing from the paper that gave Woodward and Bernstein free rein to pursue a two-year investigation into the Watergate break-in.  Katharine Graham would not be pleased.  

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

Leadership...

 Good evening to all...

Leadership...it is a tough term to define, but I know when I see it, and I know it when it is lacking.

It has been lacking of late, in both the US and in Canada.

Whatever else President Biden will get right or wrong, I accept that his politics will differ from mine, and that is okay.  Leadership fails, however, when the nightmare taking place in China is chalked up to "cultural differences."  Sorry...no.  When a population is systematically segregated, raped, and prohibited from speaking its preferred language, that is not a cultural difference.  That is genocide.  To chalk it up to cultural differences is a disgrace to the Uighur Muslims.  It cheapens the sacrifice of the Jews of Europe, of the Armenians, of the victims of Pol Pot, and of so many more.

Would that such a failure be limited to one country.  For the Prime Minister to skip out on a vote on this very issue goes beyond poor leadership to outright cowardice.  For the PM: I accept your premise that what happened in Canada with First Nations and residential schools was genocide.  What criteria did you use to reach that conclusion?  What is different in the case of the Uighurs that you have not reached a similar conclusion?

Four years ago, VADM Mark Norman was relieved of duty as Vice Chief of Defence Staff.  More than two years of legal wrangling ensued, during which PM Trudeau openly said that it would end up in court.  He said this prior to any charges being filed.  Ultimately, a very skilled lawyer ripped the Crown's case to shreds.  It never made it to the courtroom.

Meanwhile, the officer who relieved VADM Norman is being investigated for sexual misconduct while in uniform (and probably while out of uniform).  He recently retired from active service.  I remind everyone though that a commission is lifetime.  Any officer can be called back to duty right up until death.  When COVID began, numerous retired military physicians were called back into active duty.  General Vance can be called back if the investigation of his conduct goes beyond the point of investigation.

This brings us to his successor, ADM McDonald.  After just a couple of months in the position, he has now stepped aside, also under an investigative cloud.

On one side, we have an admiral who did his job.  On the other side, we have a president and a prime minister unwilling to call genocide for what it is, a general who had a reputation for sexual misconduct, and now an admiral also with a leadership problem.  One out of five people took the risks that the uniform demands and did not blink when people of lesser character tried to throw those risks back at him.  One out of five demonstrated leadership.  The other four....I am disappointed.

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

20 January 2021, 1700 GMT, 1200 EST

 Dear Mr. President,

As you assume the Oval Office, I wish you the utmost in fortune, opportunity, and luck.  Without stating what my vote was, it is my deepest hope that you and your administration will earn my vote in four years.

I note the election results and commend you for earning the highest popular majority in the history of the United States.  It is important to note that former President Trump earned the second highest number of popular votes in the nation's history.  To dismiss over 70 million Americans as illiterate, gun-toting zealots is not in the best interests of the country.  Please be a president for all of us.

No person is without flaw, and no person is without success.  I urge you then to look at all that your predecessors have accomplished, to keep in mind their failures and shortcomings, and to build on their successes.

Very respectfully,

Rabbi Sean Gorman

LCDR, CHC, USN

That's Twice!

 Good evening to all.

I just finished watching the most recent episode of "The Good Doctor."  In this episode (season 4, episode 6), there is a young man suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  He had seen his friends die in a roadside bomb explosion while on his third combat tour.  Worse, his job was to detect those bombs before they could be a threat.  He was exhibiting flashbacks, significant behavioural issues, nightmares, etc.

On a related matter, my spouse and our daughter have been binge-watching "Grey's Anatomy."  In that show, one of the doctors is also a combat veteran.  Lo and behold, he too is suffering from PTSD as a result of his experiences while on deployment.

Hospitals are great, I suppose.  Still, the military chaplain sees this and feels no small amount of frustration.  Why do I feel some frustration?  I am glad you asked that question.

This is our job.  This is what we do.  We are good at it.  Every service has a Wounded Warrior Program.  There is a similar program here in Canada.  It would be nice to see the writers on these shows mention something about these programs, and even write something into the scripts.  

And on a related matter, these issues are also part of the reason that hospitals have chaplains.  Again, it would be nice to see that written into the scripts from time to time.  I point out here that the position of the chaplain is absolutely connected to patient care.  It is also connected to care for the staff.

Last, in one of the smarter moves of recent history, the Province of Ontario updated its laws.  For first responders suffering from PTSD, the legal presumption is now that this PTSD is work-related.  There is no requirement of proof.

I am now sending a note to the Facebook page of the "The Good Doctor."

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

Enforcing Provincial COVID Regulations

 Good afternoon to all....

I have been going to minyan almost daily for years.  The following incident happened this week.

---------------

Apparently, someone had spread a rumour to the province that the shul has not been following COVID requirements.  There were too many in the building.

One morning recently, the provincial authorities came by and counted.  They looked around, and immediately ordered everyone to disperse. The shul was levied a hefty fine.

Everyone had been very careful.  So the executive director called.  "We checked and we checked.  Our numbers were consistent.  We required registration.  We did not have too many in the building."

The person from the province responded: "it was a Thursday, right?"

Shul: "Yes, but what does that have to do with it?"

Province: "You opened the ark, right?"

Shul: "Uhhh...yes."

Province: "We counted the Torah."

--------

With a little help on one of the internal lines from a colleague.

Shabbat Shalom.

R/SCG

Reverting to the Old Ways...How Refreshing...

 My friends....

We have all been subject to way too much in the way of politics lately.  COVID, elections, Supreme Court, WE scandals...I need a break.  In fact, we all do.

You are all aware that the elections to the US Senate from the State of Georgia are not yet complete.  There were multiple candidates.  Georgia law requires that a winning candidate must get more than 50% of the vote.  Both senate seats are up for election.  No candidate got to that 50.1%.  The result of this is that there must be a runoff.  It will take place in January.

Apparently, the runoff election may not be by a vote.  Here is a picture of the headline from Fox News.

Duel victories?  I am so watching the live returns on this one.  Well, maybe I will watch the live return.  

Is it at all possible that the headline was supposed to be about dual victories?

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

P.S.  To the nice folks at Fox, I remind you that spelling counts.

The Morning After....

 Good morning everyone...

I am not a bartender.  I do not play one on TV.  I do know, however, that there are a couple of drinks that are designed to keep the different ingredients separate.  For example, a Black and Tan should involve a much darker beer and a beer lighter in colour.  They should, if done right, stay separate in the glass.

I would like to suggest a new drink.  People with greater knowledge of bartending and of chemistry can figure out the exact ingredients.  The visual effect would be similar to that of the Black and Tan.  In this case, one of the beverages would be blue.  The other would be red.

I would call this drink...

The Hangover.

Oy...

Have a good day.

R/SCG