President Biden has wasted no time in releasing a torrent of executive orders. Anything less was off the table of course. When your entire purpose is to depose ‘orange Hitler’, the one thing you can’t do is nothing.
Anyways, the orders themselves on par with expectations. He appointed a COVID response coordinator, required forced masking on federal property (I’m pretty sure that was already happening), revoked the “Muslim ban”, rejoined the Paris climate accords, and extended the moratorium on evictions and student loan collection. Oh yeah, he also had his administration sign an ethics pledge, so I think we can all sleep a little better at night.
It came to 17 executive orders in total with more directives to boot. I should mention he is requiring all “federal agencies to make ‘rooting out systemic racism’ central to their work.” We all know the federal government was already exemplary in its work, so it is good to know they won’t be bothered by simple things like doing their job.
If I seem rather unserious, well, that’s just the office of the President in the US of A. The theatrical performance of the commander-in-chief issuing 17 largely meaningless orders in his first day is comical (or sad, but I have got past that). And if I say they are largely meaningless, I mean in terms of effect. The intentions are quite serious. President Biden has reiterated his positions in official action. He has shown of what kind of country his America will be. We shall see.
WELL, AT LEAST THEY LOOKED PRETTY
If I failed to take the new administration seriously, the media covered for me in spades. One particularly gushing review was put out by Vanessa Friedman in the New York Times.
I was greatly edified to hear the historical significance of the fashion statements made at Inauguration 2021. This mere mortal saw an eclectic group of timeless, sensible clothing and bad choices. But no, as Friedman says, “They built back better.” I would try to summarize, but I simply don’t have the words.
“It was writ in the range of designers represented, in the rainbow of colors that could be seen through any screen, in the layers of not just garments (hey, it was chilly), but meaning.”
Vanessa Friedman
If nothing else, I must at least applaud her enthusiasm. It’s hard to get this worked up about the inauguration of a man whom no one cared about six months ago. I won’t say clothing is without meaning. Nonetheless, much of that meaning is a story the wearer tells the world. In an arena where people are as likely as not to be liars (or likelier), such a fawning acceptance is downright delusional.
It is astonishing to me that anyone can read an article like this and believe in secularism. We have our gods, and we have our ceremonies. The “secular” left is more religious than many a Christian, more superstitious than the wildest mystic. The belief that these silly men and women we have elected (and their fashion choices) are going to lead us into a better tomorrow will make a nice joke in saner times.
RIOT IN PORTLAND, AGAIN
Not everyone has been so enthralled, however. Several violent protests broke out across the West in response to the inauguration. And no, they weren’t the Trump supporters. The worst of the rioting appears to have been in Portland. About 150 hooligans gathered around the ICE facility to throw rocks and be a general menace to society.
I suppose rioting in Portland is about as newsworthy as the blue sky, but there were additional demonstrations across the region (not all escalating to violence). Denver and Seattle were among the cities where protesters gathered to oppose the police as well as Joe Biden.
If anyone harbored thoughts that things would settle down under a Biden administration, they have another think coming. He was exactly the type of person to win the election, and exactly the wrong person to lead the nation. He satisfies no one but those who wanted anyone-but-Trump, and even their patience will wear thin.
Although it is laughable to call Joe Biden a moderate (for goodness sake, he just ordered taxpayer money to fund overseas abortions), he remains a teetering defense against the most radical in his party. It is hard, after all, for 78-year-old men to keep up with the record pace of the progressive movement. Now that Trump is out of the way, they are remembering that they got shafted again by a party who abandoned Bernie Sanders in favor of a candidate who could actually win.
The pragmatic Democrats and squishy Republicans are going to see the folly of their choice all too soon, I think. I would like to see the NY Times fashion report when that day comes.
FLU AWAY?
I saw an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on the vanishing of seasonal influenza. It is one of those that can easily slide under the radar in the daily news cycle. Reading through, I found it quite disturbing actually. I’ll share a couple thoughts.
First, we must ask, why has the flu suddenly vanished? The implication (actually it was quite explicit) was that masking and social distancing has squashed the perennial pestilence of influenza. Now, I’m sorry. I thought our inability to follow guidelines was the reason for all of the COVID deaths. They cannot have it both ways.
I take particular issue with this because of their hairbrained conclusions. The article highlights the thoughts of Dr. Mizutani who seriously wants us to continue our pandemic response in perpetuity to hide from the flu. If he has the audacity to simultaneously speak about the failed response of other nations, he should be let go immediately. It is frustrating to no end that people cannot see the fundamental contradictions of the apparent health experts.
That Hideous Strength by C.S Lewis remains one of the most prophetic books of the 20th century, and it looks like the N.I.C.E. have had their way. We are being ushered ever forward to a sterile and inhuman society. What kind of people covers their face for half the year to fight the flu? Maybe to some, this pandemic still seems like justifiable cause. I will leave that for the moment. Just know that is not a given that we will return to normal. The ones who have stirred our fears for 10 months are more than happy to keep us there.
The Free Narnian 