The New Year
Sayonara, 2022 and start the clock on 2023
168 is a newsletter emailed weekly on an unscheduled basis in which I share my thoughts on various topics for the purpose of discussion. Your comments are welcome so please feel free to post them. Visit www.1hundredsixty8.substack.com to view archived newsletters.
It’s been three months since I posted here. I apologize for the delay- Hurricane Ian caused some dramatic but temporary changes in our lives. We returned to our home in Cape Coral, Florida 12 days after the storm struck. Our first-floor condo is 30 feet from a canal and at the peak of the storm surge was apparently flooded by 6 inches of water. To complicate matters, the electric service was out for 10 days, meaning there was no air conditioning to mitigate the heat and humidity that allowed mold to spread. Our experiences since then involved many inconveniences. While we are well, our focus is on putting our home back together, a process that entails more than restoring our physical living space. It means reclaiming parts of our lives that were necessarily set aside while we worked on rebuilding. It remains a work in progress and writing this piece is another step in that reclamation.
I consider myself an optimistic person. As uncomfortable as our living conditions have been, I told myself that the chaos of reconstruction would eventually be over. The one thing I did not consider, and the feelings I did not admit to, was the stress that living in a construction site caused me. The noise, dust, and daily trips to the home center took a toll that I denied. I slept soundly but woke up tired. I was unable to focus on writing or practicing music. When the construction crew we brought here from New York departed (without finishing), we were relieved to take back our living space, though it is still in need of work. Personally, the realization of the stress I’d suppressed was in my daily blood sugar readings (I’m a Type II diabetic). Though my diet had not changed much, my blood sugar was higher than usual for the last few months. As the tumult subsided, they returned to normal, a reminder that stress is detrimental to physical health.
That said, a new year brings the feeling that we’re making a fresh start. As 2023 begins its 365-day march, some thoughts on some of the events of 2022.
The aftermath of the hurricane
This being Florida, weirdness following a disaster such as a hurricane was not unexpected. The damage meant that supplies of building materials were quickly depleted; it made it difficult to find contractors to do reconstruction (which is why we reached out to people who had worked for us in New York). And, of course, like moths to a flame, scamsters and grifters swarmed into the state. However, for pure burlesque, these carpetbaggers, whose modus operandi was mostly price gouging, were no match for the locals. With so many homes left uninhabited as residents fled the storm, criminally-minded Floridians quickly resorted to the popular pastime of looting. Give these pillagers credit for inventiveness: When damage to the causeway between Sanibel and the mainland and to the bridge to Pine Island, the thieves cruised over to these barrier islands by boat. Fort Myers Beach, the scene of widespread devastation, remained accessible to vehicles by bridge but was restricted to workers doing cleanup and restoration. One enterprising gang attached counterfeit construction company signs to a van and masqueraded as a crew of workers.
To be honest, I did not crib these anecdotes from a Carl Hiassen novel.
Thoughts on the election results
I have one takeaway from the results of last November’s elections. It is not that the Democrats did better than predicted, or that the GOP’s “Red Wave” never appeared. It is not that Donald Trump-endorsed candidates did not win in many contests. It is not even that the disruptions and potential violence that pundits warned us about did not occur. But that leads me to this: it seems Americans went to polls in 2022, cast their ballots, and for the most part, accepted the results. In most instances, losers conceded their defeats: Even Herschel Walker, a tragically-flawed candidate, gave a gracious concession speech.
So what I took away from the outcome was that below the surface exists a desire, a yearning, by the majority of the electorate to have a “normal” election, one without drama, and without mob violence. Perhaps the inference is that most of us believe in democracy and believe that our vote counts. And just maybe, many of us, judging by the turnout, want government to be effective and to be accountable.
The January 6 Committee
I realize supporters of Donald Trump look askance at the work of the House Select Committee on January 6, but I thought the televised hearings were an opportunity for ordinary citizens- if they were interested- to observe the slow, methodical process of government at work. I am old enough to remember the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s, though as a child I only knew they were significant enough to be on TV. Later, I understood that much of what Congress and our state legislatures do occurs on the committee and sub-committee level, most of which are not seen by the public (except, of course, devoted CSPAN viewers). The Committee playing videos of witness depositions was an effective tactic in this age of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Ukraine
A war Russia thought would take 10 days has gone on for over 10 months. The resourceful Ukraine military, bolstered by weapons supplied by the US and Europe, has exposed the Russian army’s failures in strategy and tactics, as well as its dysfunctional logistics, poor equipment, lack of discipline, and low morale. As they have in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria, having failed on the battlefield in a war of maneuver, the Russians have fallen back on a war of attrition and terror, attacking the Ukrainian civilian population and its infrastructure with mass missile attacks. In the face of Russia’s brutal approach, the will and determination of the Ukrainian people, personified by its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in fighting to preserve their nation has been inspiring. In contrast, it is no surprise that the corruption of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime has infected its military. The question is whether Putin’s cult of personality will keep him in power as tens of thousands of Russians leave Ukraine in body bags.
And, Finally…
…A reminder that Covid is still with us and that the pandemic is not “over”. The number of cases is trending upward. You would never know this here in Florida, where wearing a mask is not in vogue.
Oh, New Year’s Resolutions
I’ll skip the usual - the lose-weight-get-more-exercise-give-up-some-vice promises we make to ourselves each year. I do resolve to do a newsletter a week. And I will renew last year’s promise to be a better person by not being a dick. It seems to work well- try it.