few true cares have i
as the world turns round
i was blind but
now I’m still blind
My kingdom for a woman with a voice half as angelic as Harriet Wheeler’s.
(Re)discovered The Sundays after hearing one of their songs at, of all places, the gym. And it wasn’t even their biggest hit, or close to it, but just a random track (“On Earth“) from their second album. I was doing my final set of upright rows, and Wheeler’s voice wafted in through the overhead speakers, and I had to find out what I was hearing.
In other news, it’s cold outside and our government continues to degrade itself. Every day, the news is filled with some fresh sign of our civilizational decline into autocracy, whether it’s the regime’s latest efforts to create an unaccountable paramilitary force, or Congress’ utter cowardice and wanton impotence in discharging its responsibility to check the executive branch’s corruption and use of our Constitution as toilet paper. I’ve firmly decided to vote straight Democrat in the midterms this fall. We need divided government as soon as possible; I just hope our country’s judicial system hasn’t been so politicized and compromised as to be unable to prosecute everyone involved in this shambolic and malevolent administration. My favorite perspective on the current state of affairs comes from Nick Catoggio over at The Dispatch. He’s as pessimistic concerning the outlook as I am, so reading his columns isn’t exactly a pick-me-up, but his analysis is so clear-eyed and thoughtful that it rewards thorough consideration. I’ve been reading him for the past 15-odd years, and he’s always had a remarkable talent for succinctly examining an issue, its causes and motivating factors, and its potential outcomes, and communicating them in a vivid, readable way. Recommended, but only for the reassurance that at least one other person’s eyes are open to exactly what’s going on, not as encouragement. You’d have to go elsewhere for that.