2024 and All That

For a couple of brief, shining moments, it looked as if Kamala Harris would make history by being elected the first female President of the United States.  It turns out that the woman who ends up achieving that distinction hasn't been born yet.  Neither have her parents.

On the other hand, Mexico elected its first female president, and Claudia Sheinbaum is also Jewish and a climate scientist.  But north of the Rio Grande, being a woman, a Jew, or a climate scientist - not two or all of the above, just one of the above - is a liability for one's presidential ambitions, and for climate scientists that goes double.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter just died, and even though he was a hundred years old, I'm still bummed over it.  Not only was he a good and decent man, he voted for Harris hoping to see history be made and came up short.  I mean, he literally lived to be a hundred, and even he didn't see a woman get elected President!

He didn't see high-speed rail in America, either.

Back in 2022, I said I was giving up on causes or social involvement, as well as personal fulfillment.  Going forward, I am giving up on America completely.  I don't even want to acknowledge my neighbors.  As I said, I don't have to leave America; America left me.  True, I appear to finally be closing in on one long-frustrated goal - traveling abroad - but I won't believe it until my plane touches down on foreign soil.  And given how things look with the new old administration coming in, I wouldn't be surprised if the executive branch does issue a crackdown on Republikflucht.

Bearing all that in mind . . . I am not wishing anyone a happy new year.  Not now, not next year, not until New Year's Ever 2028 - and maybe not even then, if Peter Thiel's puppet gets elected to succeed POTUS #47.  There will be no happiness in These States or just about anywhere else in the world for the next four years.  I can't wish anyone a happy new year; I have no heart to be deceitful.  

And going into these next four years, don't expect to see me at Independence Day parades or cookouts or any other patriotic leisure activities, because not only am I timing my trip to Europe this coming summer to ensure that I'll be out of the country on July 4, I'm going to plan three more foreign trips at the same time of the year for the rest of this coming presidential term.

I'm not even celebrating New Year's Eve tonight.  No watching the ball drop, no countdown, no chips and carbonated cider . . . nothing.  I'm just going to do a few things around the house tonight, read for awhile, maybe listen to a CD, and go to bed.  That's it.  That's all.  Besides, I saw the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (which was excellent) earlier today, so I've had my fun.

Good luck in 2025, people.  You're going to need it.