Sunday Mailbag

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things. Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—Of cabbages—and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot—And whether pigs have wings."

Politics: This Week in TrumpWorld

G.W. in Oxnard, CA, writes: You showed the tone-deaf meme with Convicted Felon Trump (CFT) as Superman in a copyright-violating version of the movie poster. Dean Cain, who played Superman/Clark Kent in the TV show Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman, and is politically conservative, says that the producers blew it because they made Superman "woke." So, yeah, that meme is officially tone-deaf.

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G.T. in Cincinnati, OH, writes: Well, Trump IS a man of steal!

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J.H.C.V. in Missoula, MT, writes: If CFT is Superman, Kryptonite futures should soar.

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L.S. in Queens, NY, writes: I was thinking about Donald Trump's copper tariff and ending penny production.

Here are the metal facts:

• Nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars are 75% copper, 25% nickel.
• Pennies used to be 95% copper, 5% zinc. In 1982, it was changed to 95% zinc, 5% copper. The copper is on the outside.

If someone thinks tariffs and the Mint will counterbalance, they will see a dramatic "CHANGE" in what the Mint has to spend.

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M.S. in Canton, NY, writes: You wrote that Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump's director of the National Economic Council, might be under consideration to replace Jerome Powell as Chair of the Federal Reserve. Back in November, you noted that Hassett was a co-author of the book Dow 36,000, which predicted that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would reach that then-lofty goal in the near future; you correctly derided it for missing the target date by roughly two decades. In fact, however, it was even worse: The math behind the prediction was laughably bad on its face, without even waiting to see if it came true or not. Since I understand your staff mathematician may be indisposed, let me explain.

A basic principle in mathematical modeling says that any time you have to use an estimated number as an input to your model, small changes to that input should result in only small changes to the output. The formula used in the book to justify the target of 36,000 failed that requirement spectacularly. Basically, there was an input to the formula that we will charitably call "an estimate" (though "made up out of thin air" would be a better description) and tiny changes to that number would have resulted in wildly different predictions for the Dow. (You want Dow 47 quadrillion? You got it!)

And don't even get me started on Hassett's so-called "cubic model" for the spread of COVID, back at the first outbreak of the disease in the U.S., which predicted that the pandemic would end within 2 months. (Reminder for anyone who has forgotten: It didn't.)

To me, this does not inspire confidence in the skills he might bring to leadership of the Federal Reserve.

Politics: The Epstein Files

S.K. in Sunnyvale, CA , writes: You wrote: "There is some amount of documentation related to [Jeffrey Epstein] that has been kept under lock and key."

The problem (well, one problem) with conspiracy theories like this is that, even if all documents were released, there's no way too prove that nothing has been withheld. There will all always be crackpots claiming that there are still withheld files, or destroyed files, or that the released files were altered or redacted (especially in this digital age, where alterations can be seamless). There is no level of evidence that will change the mind of someone who has already made theirs up, and who is fundamentally distrustful of authority.

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R.M. in Pensacola, FL, writes: I have the fortune to work with mostly people who are die-hard MAGA supporters. Once or twice a week, there will be some commentary from a few of them about whatever the latest big thing that is going on in MAGA World. Nothing too over the top and the discussion usually moves on after a few minutes.

Not this past week.

The Epstein list is all my coworkers would talk about this past week. From the first thing on Monday morning to the last thing Friday afternoon. I didn't get caught up in it too much, mostly because my three rules when it comes to work are that I don't talk about politics, religion and other guys' wives (it's a rule that would serve a lot of people well at work).

But the general tone from my co-workers is that they are mostly in denial about why Trump is downplaying the release of the list. They can't square why he doesn't want it released, and since so many people have seen it, why doesn't he just release it, since he certainly wouldn't have anything to hide.

I have no idea where this will go. My general presumption is that with everything related to Donald Trump, this will eventually fade into the background as new crazy things happen.

But this could be the one thing that is Trump's undoing. As a Penn State alumnus, the first thing people think about Joe Paterno has nothing to do with him being one of the best football coaches of all time and instead, it's how he covered up what Jerry Sandusky was up to. If it comes out that Trump is a pedophile, then that will be a bridge too far for most people and he will become radioactive.

Does MAGA keep pushing for the release of the list? Do they finally get it? Do they just move on to other things? All interesting questions that nobody has the answer to right now.

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J.E. in Manhattan, NY, writes: Joe McCarthy said he had a list of communists and other fellow travelers in various government positions, and even famously waved around a stack of papers during a speech at the Republican Women's Club, and later expanded the "list" from 57 to 205, as he told it.

No such list existed. None.

This gives me much pause thinking through the existence and contents of the supposed "Epstein files," Now, Jeffrey Epstein was pretty well-connected. Epstein had already escaped any real consequences once; though I don't doubt he killed himself (the famous video of a cell missing one minute isn't even his cell, and in any case, you don't set up a self-hanging in 60 seconds unless you are the equivalent of an Indy pit crew of assassinations; real life is not like the movies).

But I very much doubt such a single document exists; I do not think it is a list in the way most people imagine it. Assuming the existence of such wasn't made up (see McCarthy above) if it is anything at all it's something more nebulous and harder to pin down. Otherwise, as you noted, it would be out there already, and there's more than one well-sourced reporter I can think of who would (or should) be on this case. I should note that 5 years ago, Ronan Farrow broke the story of MIT's ties with Epstein, and I would bet he has a lot of stuff even now; lord knows that in my own career I was something of a notes-hoarder (every good reporter is).

Remember Prince Andrew? The only reason he was caught out at Epstein's place was he was dumb enough to be photographed with Virginia Giuffre. Others have been more discreet and smarter. Epstein also had a lot of covering activity, financing research, even backing a magazine called Seed that featured a lot of pretty decent science reporting, and the old ScienceBlogs site. Epstein surrounded himself with a lot of plausible deniability; if you went to one of his parties and weren't in his inner circle, you wouldn't be going to his private island and you wouldn't be introduced to the various trafficked girls—and they were girls, let's not forget that. So Lawrence Krauss—himself, by all evidence, a bit of a creep—wouldn't have been in the know. But other people would be (I am looking at you, Alan Dershowitz).

I suspect—again if this list exists at all—that it is a collection of pieces of evidence like flight logs, visiting dates, and other miscellany that together implicates a lot of people. But otherwise, the whole thing—again, my bias is as a former reporter—doesn't pass the smell test. In real life, such "lists" do not exist because the people keeping them are not fools. The political implications will not be what we think, because honestly, to many Trump supporters, the idea that he is sleeping with teenagers is a feature, not a bug. Remember when Trump was known for barging into to teenagers' dressing rooms at beauty pageants? That didn't hurt him in the slightest.

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E.F. in Baltimore, MD, writes: There's little doubt that Jeffrey Epstein's wealth came not from selling his supposed financial management expertise, but rather by convincing wealthy men that letting him manage their assets was preferable to seeing their embarrassing/incriminating evidence made public. Much more genteel than simple blackmail/extortion.

All that Donald Trump really cares about is money. Once all that incriminating material fell into his hands (excepting, of course, anything involving himself), admitting that it existed would make it very difficult for him to continue profiting from it. His only alternative is to pretend it never existed in the first place. And the grift goes on.

Politics: The BBB

B.S. in Huntington Beach, CA, writes: I have to disagree with your analysis of the outcome of the vote on CFT's BBB. You have dedicated a significant amount of ink to the machinations and hand-wringing of Republicans lawmakers prior to the vote, as if some of them were actually committed to their stated principles. I believe that it was all Kabuki from the outset.

It is no coincidence that the vote in the Senate and the vote in the House came down to razor-thin margins. That was always the expected and pre-ordained outcome. The bill was always going to pass because it contains the two most important principles of the Republican Party: cruelty and corruption. Those are the most significant contributions of the bill to America. There is no way this bill was ever going down to defeat.

In the Senate, Rand Paul (R-KY) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) had staked out their positions, knowing their "no" votes would not matter. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was never going to be a "no" vote. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was never going to be a "no" vote. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) were waiting in the wings, and the only intrigue was which one of them was going to vote "yes" and which would vote "no." It came down to Collins needing help in her re-election campaign and Murkowski going along.

In the House, the Freedom Caucusers were in a win-win situation. They got to rail and moan for weeks about deficits, and then they got to stick it to the "Woke" crowd by voting yes on this abomination of a bill. They were never going to hand CFT a defeat.

Never ascribe to strategy and subterfuge that which can be explained by both cruelty and corruption.

(V) & (Z) respond: We are not sure what you think we were wrong about. We wrote, over and over, that the complainers—especially the Freedom Caucusers— didn't really mean it, and could be expected to fall in line and vote for the bill.

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A.R.S. in West Chester, PA, writes: You wrote: "Now it is up to the Democrats to use [the BBB] as a baseball bat to whack the Republicans until Nov. 3, 2026. What they need is a simple message anyone can understand, like '12 million people will lose their health care and millions of children will go to bed hungry so billionaires can have a big fat tax cut.' Oh, and virtually every Republican voted for it. Everything else (like ballooning the deficit) is gravy."

While I agree this should be a good message, I think equally important is to also document actual examples of some of the results of these terrible provisions, as difficult and excruciating as the process might be. Otherwise, there will be just a Republican litany of "See, nothing really happened!"

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M.T. in St. Paul, MN, writes: I agree that, with the BBB now passed, Democrats have an opportunity. I'm not so sure the messaging will be as easy as some people think though. Here are a few examples:

• Medicare cuts don't kick in until after the 2026 election, so people will say "I haven't noticed any change".
  
  
• The so-called "no taxes on Social Security" item (i.e., increased deductions) is a bit complicated, particularly since the Administration has been deceitful about what actually happens. First, it conveniently disappears in 2029, the year The Dumpster leaves office. Second, it has virtually no benefit for poorer people, since they don't pay taxes anyway because they make so little. Third, for many people, the benefit will be wiped out by Medicare losses. Fourth, for someone like me, a retired person, financially secure, who is enjoying grandkids and family, I don't need the fu**ing money, which in my case amounts to maybe $800-$1000 a year. BTW, I've decided to take any money I do get from this increased deduction and donate it to one of the many organizations negatively impacted by this bill (e.g., NPR, Planned Parenthood, etc.). Finally, this most generous act by the Administration has brought the financial inviability of SS one year closer. Now, having our SS cut by 25% will definitely hurt me, and for some it will be devastating.
  
  
• Along the same lines, as you mention, the tax break on tips is meaningless for many.
  
  
• Then there is the debt. Supposedly this will increase considerably. However, mention the debt to the average American, and they may respond "Yeah, that sounds bad. Well, Monday Night Football starts in 10 minutes so I gotta run."

What I'm getting at is that the average American is attention-deficient and somewhat self-absorbed. So, while the messaging about this bill should be easy, it may not be as easy as some people think. As an example, perhaps it will take things like 70+ deaths in Texas for people to understand correlations between policy and events. BTW, Democrats, don't use the word "correlation" as part of your messaging.

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G.D. in Jurupa Valley, CA, writes: While TACO is an apt description of Trump's response to a challenge, the GOPers have now earned the title of RABtT: Republicans Always Bow to Trump. It's quite fitting since when a rabbit is confronted by an adversary, its first response is to run and hide.

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K.W. in Madison, WI, writes: I'd suggest we start referring to the Freedom Caucus as the Spelunker Caucus. Because when it comes time for a tough vote, they always decide it's the perfect time for caving.

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J.L. in Albany, NY, writes: You wrote: "It just gets harder and harder every year to argue that the filibuster should NOT go the way of the dodo."

When the Democrats held the Senate and presidency, there was a lot of pressure to get rid of the filibuster. At the time, I was against doing so for precisely the reason we find ourselves in today. Imagine if the Republicans could pass whatever they wanted with only a simple majority in the Senate.

On the other hand, I do see how the filibuster has turned into a "one man veto" by the minority party, preventing anything from getting done unless it gets the support of 60 Senators. I also see that this bar is getting harder and harder to clear. Items that were easy to hit the bar for are becoming impossible. If Democrats take control of the Senate in 2026 and try to pass a resolution saying "puppies and kittens are cute," I fully expect it to be filibustered.

Thus, I'd keep the filibuster, but return it to its roots. Right now, a senator who wants to filibuster has an aide send out an "I plan to filibuster" e-mail and they're good. As long as 40 of their party members back them, they have just killed the bill with less effort than I'm taking to send this.

Let's make the filibuster an actual speech again. If Senator Smith wants to filibuster a bill, he needs to stand at the podium and speak nonstop. If he needs to take a break (to eat, drink, use the bathroom, etc), then his filibuster has ended. I'd also say that at least half of the filibustering person's party must be present at all times. If Senator Smith (R) is filibustering, has the bare minimum of his party present, and Senator Jones (R) needs to leave, then another Republican senator better come in before Jones leaves. This would prevent a party from sending one person to filibuster while the rest of them go off and do something else (talk to the press, sleep, etc).If you're supporting the filibuster then you need to do it in person!

These changes wouldn't end filibustering, but it would give it an actual cost. If you wanted to filibuster some legislation, then you wouldn't simply send an e-mail and be done. You'd need to actually speak for hours on end and even then it might not be enough.

To put it in terms Trumpy folks can understand: Make All Filibusters Speeches Again (MAFSA)!

Politics: Immigration

J.L. in Ridgewood, NJ (formerly Paterson, NJ), writes: I agree with you that Donald Trump's deportation targets won't be easily or quickly met, but one obstacle isn't quite as daunting as you wrote. It's true that, when the federal government invokes eminent domain to take land to build a new facility, the litigation over just compensation can take years. In the meantime, however, the government can file a Declaration of Taking under 40 U.S.C. 3114. The government thereby acquires title. It can immediately begin using the land, while the ongoing case involves only how much money the former landowner will receive.

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R.W. in Brooklyn, NY, writes: Loved your satirical piece where you pretended that there were obstacles to Trump deporting a million people a year! LOL, hire more immigration judges—Why would that possibly be necessary when the USSC will just rubber-stamp whatever ICE does? Delays in vetting 10,000 new hires—Vetting, what's vetting? Deporting native-born citizens? See above re the USSC. Fraud and corruption? That's a feature, not a bug. I could go on, but really I just wanted to thank you for the laughs.

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P.S. in North Las Vegas, NV, writes: You wrote: "However, [Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins] said she expects to turn this problem into an opportunity, since there will now be plenty of work for the people who are now required to get a job in order to keep their Medicaid coverage."

American workers are lazy. They first complain that foreigners and immigrants are taking over this country, but are the first to say they will not do the kind of work like picking strawberries, building homes, irrigation and landscaping, bussing tables at restaurants, etc. And many of them are not on Medicaid.

Madame Secretary does not talk to too many people, or she would know this.

Politics: The Declaration of Independence

K.R. in Austin, TX, writes: You wrote that not many people really know what the Declaration of Independence is about.

That includes the current president. When asked recently about what it means, he said, "Well, it means exactly what it says, it's a declaration. A declaration of unity and love and respect, and it means a lot. And it's something very special to our country."

For fun, here is The Daily Show's take on Trump's description of the Declaration of Independence:

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M.L. in West Hartford, CT, writes: I appreciated M.S. in New York City sharing with us the version of the Declaration of Independence interpreted for children from the book Benjamin Franklin, Inventor of the Nation. I was dismayed, however, to read that one of the complaints listed was "He tries to get slaves angry."

I have no doubt about the historical accuracy of this complaint, but presenting slaveholder complaints without comment normalizes slavery. I'm sure I'm going to receive criticism for engaging in "presentism," but slavery was an abomination then and it's an abomination today. One figure in the document invites children to "[s]ee if you agree that this war was worth fighting." If children can be asked to think critically about the justifications for the war, then they can also be asked to think critically about slavery.

Politics: The State of Political Discourse

D.S. in Palo Alto, CA, writes: C.F. in Waltham asserts that MSNBC is the only major news organization left that continues to do its job. I don't disagree. However, casting a wider net, there are a number of YouTube channels and other sources, such as podcasts, that also appear to be eyes-wide-open about what is happening. These include the collection of commentators contributing to the MeidasTouch network on YouTube, as well as The Bulwark, Pod Save America, Don Lemon, the DSR Network, and Bryan Tyler Cohen. Most of the content these days is not really about politics, but about fascism vs. authoritarianism. I am particularly taken by the commentary of Michael Popok on MeidasTouch and his associated LegalAF channels, where he and his colleagues present detailed takes on the "Intersection of Law and Politics." Some of Al Franken's recent podcasts have also been pretty good—for a change.

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S.P. in Cranston, RI, writes: You wrote: "[A] national crisis will sometimes serve to bring the citizenry together. This happened, to a fair extent, after 9/11, and it definitely happened during World War II."

Until recently, I had a similar view, remembering the substantial nationwide unity during the Cuban missile crisis and JFK's assassination during my youth. However, our failure as a nation to find common ground around the COVID pandemic, the January 6 insurrection, and the climate change crisis has deeply shaken that faith for me.

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R.L.D. in Sundance, WY, writes: It is my firm opinion that opposition to Trump and his fascist takeover of the Federal Government is not an indicator of a retreat from walking a centrist line. Opposing threats to both our democracy and our republic is completely consistent with centrism. It is also completely consistent with liberalism and conservatism. It is, in fact, simply the American thing to do. It is fully in keeping with the oath of office that requires defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I hate that we've come to the point where that isn't patently obvious anymore and that a sizable fraction of the political spectrum in this country doesn't recognize the danger Trump poses to the further existence of this country.

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G.W. in Oxnard, CA, writes: Electoral-Vote.com has been a bad influence on me. The family text thread had the usual "Happy 4th of July." Thanks in part to this site, I felt compelled to point out that the holiday is Independence Day, not the 4th of July. I'm sure, due to this site, I felt compelled to be snarky about it and wrote, "Happy Independence Day! The day we commemorate independence from the British monarchy, and ignore that we are oppressed by the billionaire class."

One of my brothers, who is way too literal, replied, "??? Who had a billion dollars in 1776? The day most of us are commemorating was in 1776. I think the founding Fathers were wealthy land owners, but a billion dollars. That's a stretch."

My nephew's wife, who is pretty liberal, liked my text.

The wife of one of my brothers, who is hard right, replied, "How are you oppressed?"

My overly literal brother replied, "Oh great! Let's talk politics!"

Again, due to the snarky bad influence, I replied, "We are all oppressed, we just don't see it!!"

Either my hard-right brother or his hard-right wife (can't tell, they text on the same number, which is supper rude, BTW) replied, "We are all free to celebrate our oppression. I think I will celebrate our freedom. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. Enjoy Independence Day."

I resisted the bad influence enough to not point out how they had complained incessantly about how they were oppressed when Barack Obama was president.

My point being: I urge my fellow Electoral-Vote.com readers to watch the snark out in the real world.

All Politics Is Local

C.E. in Murrysville, PA, writes: Note the "nameplate" in front of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX):

Highly appropriate.

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R.T. in Arlington, TX, writes: You hinted at this, but gerrymandering Texas any further would effectively require the Republicans to extrapolate about where the partisan shifts are happening and how strong they are. The oranges of gerrymandering have been squeezed over and over again, so the best chance they have of flipping the seats of Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar (both D-TX) is the old-fashioned way. Find some really good candidates and campaign like hell. To make any hay in the rest of the state, they have to find places with abutting Democratic districts and try to collapse them into one. This is the political equivalent to crushing the core in a nuclear bomb, as it will put the surrounding districts at risk and represents a big bet. Abbott seems to understand that he has reached terminal political rank, but he still wants to be re-elected. He has spent the last decade trying to float on the MAGA tide and he has mastered the arts of political theater needed to keep his job without being a threat to Trump. So his talk about re-gerrymandering is really more dog whistle than serious effort.

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K.R. in Austin, TX, writes: At least in Travis County, where Austin is located, I can't imagine more gerrymandering. Our county has 5 districts!

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P.C. in Cleveland, OH, writes: There are some interesting points about gerrymandering in Ohio that you did not mention in your item. In 2018, Ohioans overwhelmingly supported a state constitutional amendment that was supposed to end the gerrymandering of congressional districts. Alas, it had too many loopholes. There was an attempt this past November to correct the problem. Unfortunately, the Ohio Secretary of State gets to decide the wording on the ballot. Even though the amendment was designed to stop partisan gerrymandering, the wording actually said that it would require gerrymandering. Anyone not following the issue would have thought they were voting against partisan gerrymandering when in fact they were supporting it. Sigh.

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R.G.N. in Seattle, WA, writes: The first orchard crop (cherries) of the season is currently rotting on the trees in eastern Washington State because ICE has scared off most of the immigrants who harvest the orchards. As the season progresses, expect apples, apricots, pears, peaches, etc. to take their turns rotting in the trees. Strawberries are rotting on the ground and berries will rot on the vines. The Skagit delta (i.e., the major source of tulips for both America and Holland) will go unharvested. Since high-quality wine grapes are also harvested by hand, expect 2025 vintage will be hard to come by in future years. It also hurts that this will be the third drought year in a row.

I doubt that orchardists in rural farmland are prepared or have enough urban customers to suddenly convert to you-pick operations. I suppose the banks will eventually own the orchards. Expect just a little bit of blowback for the GOP when it is time to vote, and Washington is a blue state. We also remember that the Trump Administration refused to assist after a bomb cyclone hit, and California does not have fond memories of the lack of response after the huge fires. This is particularly the case when we see how the Governor of Texas is being showered with Federal disaster relief. I hope the only two GOP congressional representatives in eastern Washington are sweating a bit and are giving the powers that be in GOP leadership an earful.

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L.C. in Brookline, MA, writes: L.S. in Greensboro wrote about the evolution of senators and representatives from North Carolina, moving ever further to the extreme right.

This is exactly what has been happening at the National level with Republican presidents from Nixon onwards. And the next Republican president will be even worse than Donald Trump, or if not, it won't be for lack of trying.

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M.L. in Franklin, MA, writes: It is worth noting that in two of his three campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Ed Markey (D-MA) had primary opponents: In 2013, in a special election to replace John Kerry, Markey defeated Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-More Conservative) of South Boston, 57% to 42%.

In 2020, Markey was challenged by Rep Joseph Kennedy III (D-Younger). Early money was on Kennedy III beating Markey. In fact, Markey beat Kennedy 55% to 44%.

Yes, Markey may draw a primary challenge in 2026. That said, I think he put any challenge to bed in 2020. The best thing for an ambitious young politician to do is work closely with the Senator. When Markey decides it's time to exit the Senate he can endorse them as his successor.

Chin Ups

P.S. in Gloucester, MA, writes: Thanks to B.D. in St. Agatha for introducing me to Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib.

Amid all of the violence and zero-sum rhetoric, it's vital to find and support voices of reason. I support the NGO Standing Together ('Omdim be-Yahad in Hebrew, Naqef Ma'an in Arabic) which, like Alkhatib, recognizes that there are 7 million Jews and 7 million Arabs between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, and they are going to have to figure out how to live in peace with one another if they are to have a future.

It is not lost on me, as an Ashkenazi Jew, that the people on the planet closest to us genetically (Ashkenazi as well as Sefardi and Mizrahi Jews) are... Levantine Arabs.

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S.S. in West Hollywood, CA, writes: Reading about the people and ideas others use for inspiration during these difficult times, reminded me of my own. If it's not too late, I've got two I'd like to share.

First, I was an active member of ACT UP during the AIDS crisis of the 80s. While still in high school, I remember being warned about AIDS before it had a name. It was then an unknown disease killing gay men in New York and San Francisco. So the first "safe sex" warning was to not have sex with men from those cities. It was soon after that the first person I knew died from the disease. I quickly lost count of all the others who then died. Most were young men like me. None of whom deserved the fear, discrimination and death that came to them. There is no logical reason why I was able to avoid that when so many others didn't. It really was just dumb luck.

I often think of them in those moments when I want to give up and hide from the world and all its ugly imperfections. And then I remember how important it is I value every day. I knew too many who would have given anything for one more day. They would have given everything for a chance to live and grow old... like I am. That's why giving up is not an option. I carry the weight of too many to not show up and be grateful for everything I've got. Even when what I've got doesn't feel like enough.

The other inspiration is my personal hero, Norman Lear, the creator of All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and many other shows. Not only because he pushed past the boundaries of what a TV show could be, and the characters and topics he could introduce to the world (though that's a big reason). But also because his success allowed him to then create the progressive advocacy organization People for the American Way. That has always been so cool to me. That someone would use their fame and fortune like that. To help make us a better country.

When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say "Norman Lear." And in my own way, I did it. Going to the same school, Emerson College, and having my own career in television. I was extraordinarily fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet Norman Lear and tell him what an inspiration he's been to me. Both as a TV producer and social advocate.

I've also been fortunate to have met and become friends with some of the people involved in both those endeavors. If Norman Lear was alive today, I suspect his advice would be not to give up and turn away, but to stay involved and stay positive. with the knowledge that this is only temporary and there are many more of us fighting for inclusion and democracy than not. Because really, what other option is there?

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S.R. in Hoboken, NJ, writes: I wanted to respond to the many entries for "Chin Up," regarding the reader who asked for sources of hope and inspiration. Anyone asking that question need look no further than a mirror. Yes, much of the news may feel overwhelming at times, but I tell my friends to select one issue—ONE—where you can help on a local level. Maybe it's your child's school, or helping local veterans, or the homeless, or an animal shelter. Volunteer. There will be bad days, dreadful days, but there will also be good ones. Every day, write down all the good things that happened (and only the good ones), like "Got my first 'Thank you.'" or "stopped a teen suicide" or "veteran won his disability appeal." Go back and read the list if you're down, just to remind yourself that you can't solve all the world's problems, but you can make your part of the world better. You're more valuable and powerful than you know. And if you're fortunate enough to get a big win, let (V) and (Z) know, and perhaps we'll read about you in that week's "Freudenfreude" entry.

World War II Movies, Part III

R.R. in Pasadena, CA, writes: Your World War II movie list movie list has two big holes in it. A slew of movies were made during the war, many of them were actually well done movies. Casablanca benefits from the emotion of people directly affected by the war, but it's not really about the war but its effect on people trying to escape it. Also, you didn't add any movies that had to do with the air war, which was critical to how World War II was fought... airpower was perhaps the major factor in how the war was fought and won.

I would suggest that the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo covers both of these bases well. The Doolittle Raid was an attack against Japan on April 18, 1942, where B-25B land based bombers flew off the aircraft carrier Hornet, bombed several cities in Japan, and then flew on to China (with one plane going to Russia). It's one of the bravest missions of the war, and had a huge effect both on American morale and Japanese planning that eventually led to the Battle of Midway.

The movie was released in 1944, based on the book written by Ted Lawson, who piloted one of the planes and lost his leg in the raid. Members of the Raiders were consulted, and the co-pilot of Lawson's plane, Dean Davenport, was a technical advisor on the movie, flying some of the scenes (apparently including launching a B-25 off the Santa Monica pier). The movie also wasn't a propaganda piece, it told the story of the Raid in a pretty straightforward fashion (for 1940s movies), and included a lot of non-actor Chinese people to include their very important participation in the events. It's considered one of the best aviation-themed movies about the war, certainly the best one made during the war itself, and the Raiders praised it as an accurate accounting of what happened. It definitely merits a mention in any discussion about great World War II movies, though it usually doesn't make it through the noise.

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D.M.A. in Riverdale, NY, writes: I must nominate Let There be Light, a documentary on healing the psychological wounds suffered by soldiers during the war. As I understand it, this great movie was suppressed for many years by Southern politicians because it showed Black and white soldiers treated equally at the same facility. It was recently restored and released. It is available on YouTube.

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D.K. in Chicago, IL, writes: In the film genre of World War II comedy, there is a Polish film Jak Rozpętałem Drugą WojnęŚwiatową ("How I Unleashed the Second World War"). It is most noteworthy for a scene in which the main character, in order to frustrate the Gestapo, made up a name that exemplifies the "consonant salads" for which the Polish language is famous.

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D.B. in Fort Lauderdale, FL, writes: I know that limiting yourself to such a small number of great World War II movies makes it impossible to include all those of exceptional merit. However, it seems to me that looking at them by sub-genres indicates some choices you and the many responding readers may have overlooked. I am including some that seem neglected.

The movies made during the war itself, by all the participants, were always hyper-patriotic and celebrated heroics and sacrifice. Casablanca stands out, among many other reasons, as the best because the flag-waving is subtle (although if you aren't moist-eyed during "La Marseillaise" then there is something wrong with you). But they also had the benefit of being of the moment with a sense of immediacy that could never be recaptured. Among the American films, John Ford's They Were Expendable probably leads the pack among such entries as Guadalcanal Diary, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Story of G.I. Joe, and A Walk in the Sun, along with Britain's In Which We Serve. And the films were not all about the boys overseas, to wit, Mrs. Miniver and Cry 'Havoc'.

The real flourishing of World War II movies came in the following 15 years, when films looked more objectively at the human costs and examined the moral ambiguities on all sides: Twelve O'Clock High (strongly recommended), The Best Years of Our Lives, From Here to Eternity, Stalag 17, The Caine Mutiny, Battle Cry, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Naked and the Dead, The Young Lions, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Hell Is for Heroes.

Among these, I would nominate for your list a film that did poorly at the box office and is almost forgotten now: The Victors. It has a star-studded cast, which probably doomed it because the story is grim and anti-war and disappointed filmgoers looking for the "uplift" of such star-studded duds as The Longest Day. One reappraisal of The Victors said that it "has scenes of tremendous power"; it certainly affected me. In this category are also two non-American movies that focus on women (and what women!): Roma Città Aperta (Anna Magnani) and Two Women (Sophia Loren).

Then there are the great adventure films that we all love to watch: The Guns of Navarone, The Great Escape (how can a movie with Steve McQueen being Steve McQueen not be great?), The Dirty Dozen, The Train, and Where Eagles Dare (admittedly a weak entry, even with Clint Eastwood).

Das Boot is in a class by itself—a testosterone-fueled adventure story of great moral gravity. You say it would be hard to watch again; I urge you to do so because it resonates more with each viewing. The first time I saw it was on its release at a movie palace on the Champs-Elysees in Paris dubbed into French (the irony of German submariners speaking French!). A young woman seated next to me had brought her grandmother to see it. At first, the older woman bristled audibly at the coarse language, and then unable to take it any more, she started yelling obscenities at the Germans on the screen. A memorable movie-going experience.

You speculated as to whether Oppenheimer might be the last great World War II epic movie. I hope not. Recent though it may be, I have always thought of World War II as the great moral inflection point of human history. Surely, the scale of the devastation and suffering and the potential of annihilating humanity taught all of us and future generations that ethnic and racial hatred are destructive to everyone and that fascistic nationalism is never the answer. Boy, was I wrong! We need more movies and more works of fiction and non-fiction about the War to remind us that evil can be defeated, even if not forever.

P.S. If you want to expand your list to documentaries, then everyone should see Triumph of the Will in order to understand that evil better, and, if you ask Woody Allen (although we're not supposed to mention that name), The Sorrow and the Pity should head the list.

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D.C. in Seattle, WA, writes: One of my favorite World War II films is Hope and Glory. written, produced and directed by John Boorman. It's a story of the Rohan family during the London blitz as seen through the eyes of their 10-year-old son. It's a little hard to find, but well worth the effort. One of the only World War II films I've seen that shows the terror, humor and innocence of growing up during the war in London.

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M.M. in San Diego, CA, writes: Two of my favorites about the British homefront: Mrs. Miniver and Hope and Glory. Also, I'll watch anything, good, bad, or indifferent about the Battle of Britain.

Foreign Films (and TV)

D.W. in New York City, NY, writes: In your answer about the best films made outside the U.S., you wrote: "There is a lot of other news footage created outside the United States that was very impactful, like the footage that showed that the concentration camps were real, or the footage of people destroying the Berlin Wall. However, in those cases, and many others, it's many different films telling the story, not a single film. So, we couldn't put them on the list."

I would like to call your attention to the film German Concentration Camps Factual Survey.

During World War II, filmmaker Sidney Bernstein was working with the British Army and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). For five months in 1945, his orders were to film the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, to collect the footage shot by the Allied Forces and to create a documentary. The film would show the German people what had been done by Hitler and the Third Reich. But German Concentration Camps Factual Survey wasn't finally completed for 70 years.

With considerable behind the scenes encouragement from Sidney Bernstein's daughter (Jane Wells), the Imperial War Museum completed the film and premiered it at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014. Jane Wells' foundation 3 Generations obtained U.S. screening rights and premiered it in the US in January 2017. A link to the film is here.

I attended the U.S. premiere in 2017. This is an extremely difficult film to watch, but so important. Nobody who has seen it can forget the Holocaust.

(Full disclosure, Jane is my sister-in-law.)

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P.L. in Santa Barbara, CA, writes: You wrote: "Moon Landing (1969): The question does specify 'films,' and not 'movies.' And while the footage of the moon landing was made by Americans, it was not made in the United States (if anyone is tempted to send us an e-mail correcting us on this point, please instead use that time to loosen your tinfoil hat)."

I do disagree with you about where the film was made, but probably not the reasons (tin foil hat, etc.) you allude to. Even though the camera (i.e. photon sensor) was indeed on the moon and not in the U.S., the electronic signal produced by that sensor was transmitted to recording equipment in Houston, TX. So, it depends on the definition of "made" in your answer. Is a film "made" at the camera sensor (CCD, Vidicon tube), or at the video tape where those signals are recorded (i.e., the actual film)?

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M.M. in San Diego, CA, writes: I must warn B.C. in Phoenix that Kiwis everywhere are howling (as much as they are likely to howl—they are, after all, "Canadian nice") because The Brokenwood Mysteries is not British, but is the New Zealand answer to Midsomer Murders. As a fellow traveler, might I recommend for B.C. the show Q.I., available on BritBox? Not a mystery but a highly entertaining, funny British pseudo quiz show.

The Sporting Life

F.C. in Sequim, WA, writes: Remember The Doomsday Defense going against The Steel Curtain? Or maybe The Legion of Boom? Fans never seem to complain about defenses. Just give them something new on offense, like the Tush Push, then we get problems. Still remember squabbles about the proper/legal way to run a shotgun offense! Heck there were even folks who complained about The Refrigerator lining up at fullback.

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K.C. in West Islip, NY, writes: The extra runner in MLB extra innings, also known to broadcaster Michael Kay (who I love as a radio host despite being a Mets fan) as the "Manfred Man," may be easily the worst rule change I can recollect. If people don't want to watch 20 innings of strategy and gamesmanship play out, then they should go watch something that would be more exciting to them, like 30-second TikTok videos.

The "get off my lawn" old man in me is getting a tad tired of the anxious generation not even having the attention span of a goldfish. It goes past sports, too; it encroaches into politics. When I was a teenager I would watch live coverage of both the House and Senate on C-SPAN. Was it nerdy? Yes. Did it affect my social relationships? No, I found plenty of time to have actual interactions with my friends. Did it make me aware of how the government did and didn't function which helped shape who I am today? Absolutely.

Let the kids watch a baseball game that lasts 9 hours. It'll do them a world of good in the long run. Here's one vote to get rid of the Manfred Man.

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D.M. in Santa Rosa, CA, writes: I think soccer failing to get a broad American audience is simpler than many of the explanations readers provided. As a boy, I had adult men teach me how to watch baseball, football and basketball by watching those sports with me on TV (and listening on radio for baseball). They taught me by example what to look for and what to be excited about. But I never learned how to watch soccer or hockey like that, and so I don't.

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E.W. in Skaneateles, NY, writes: I have two hot takes on the sport of soccer.

Hot Take #1: I agree with the sentiment expressed by B.C. in Walpole that gridiron-football-loving stakeholders (not just coaches) held back the development of soccer teams in the U.S. I myself was one of the inaugural players that helped establish my rural Virginia high school's soccer team, over the objections of some school board members. We didn't even have enough male and female players to form sex-segregated teams so there were a few female players on our mostly-male team for the first couple of seasons. And for what it's worth, the female players held their own really well. (Take that, transphobic jerkfaces!) Eventually, there were enough young women interested in soccer that we could form separate teams, and there remain two separate teams to this day.

Unfortunately, the only teacher they could get to coach us was a grouchy high school history teacher who made no secret of his desire to join the gridiron football coaching staff. He used to try to get us to "run plays" gridiron style (and not just on set pieces), which never worked because that's not how soccer is played. Coach also exemplified B.C.'s observation that football coaches would imply that "football was a sport for manly men, and soccer was a sport for... you know..." But he did it with his own team! At one memorable practice, Coach told us that if, in his opinion, anyone on the team wasn't working hard enough, he'd have the rest of the team "beat their ass." After that miserable third season, I decided I'd had enough and didn't even try out for the team my senior year, even though I probably would have been a starting right midfielder, having been so the past three seasons.

Hot Take #2: Despite soccer still being my favorite (and more or less only) sport to play, I will only watch it if someone else is already doing so, usually my father or my brother-in-law. At the highest levels, soccer is actually a very slow, very boring game. Every player has such incredible leg strength and ball control that it's a lot of right-defender-passes-to-right-midfielder-passes-back-to-right-defender... yawn... I got bored just typing that.

Contrast soccer's generally slow pace with the fast pace of basketball, hockey, and lacrosse, and the explosive activity of each gridiron football down.

Contrast soccer's ever-running-but-totally-unclear-due-to-random-amounts-of-stoppage-time-often-due-to-fake-injuries game clock with the "it's only over when there's a winner" timing of baseball/softball and the tension-ratcheting, everyone-can-see-it game clock of basically every other sport. Gridiron football gets the Hail Mary pass, the heartbreak of Wide Right, and the insanity of The Play; baseball has the walk-off home run; basketball gets the buzzer beater; and soccer gets...???

Contrast soccer's relative predicability with gridiron football's complex running and passing routes, and unpredictable trick plays such as fake punts and fake field goal attempts, and strange situations such as the onsides kick and the safety.

Contrast soccer's one way of scoring points with gridiron football's five (1-point PAT, 2-point safety, 2-point conversion, 3-point field goal, and 6-point touchdown) and basketball's three ways of scoring. I'll admit that bicycle kicks are pretty cool, but they're far too rare and I can just watch the highlights.

Contrast soccer's very low scores and the possibility (and high frequency) of tie games with the incredible tension of baseball's bases-loaded, 3-2 count, go-ahead run at the plate to win the World Series... Yes, there are soccer's PK shootouts but those are rarer and also less exciting (unless they happen to involve Brandi Chastain).

In short, soccer's fun to watch, as long as no gridiron football, baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, or lacrosse are on...

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P.M. in Port Angeles, WA, writes: If I might offer two final words on football (a.k.a. soccer to Americans), they would be: "TED LASSO."

Gallimaufry

M.A. in Knoxville, TN, writes: When I read the remembrance of S.S. in Weaverville's dad, I decided to ask a friend of mine if he knew what the 1005 computer referred to. My friend, A.D. in Paris, France, is into old computers, collecting some, repairing others, etc. He believes it was the UNIVAC 1005. Wikipedia's article on the UNIVAC confirms the U.S. Army was using those mainframes during that time:

The UNIVAC 1005, an enhanced version of the UNIVAC 1004, was first shipped in February 1966. The machine saw extensive use by the U.S. Army, including the first use of an electronic computer on the battlefield.

The Friden Flexowriter was a teleprinter that allowed input from human typing as well as via paper tape. It sounds like they could be hooked up to mainframes to print output as well. Wikipedia has some pictures on their page about them. I was unable to find a good photo of the UNIVAC 1005.

It's not an important detail, but I thought S.S. might enjoy knowing exactly what his dad was referring to.

Final Words

C.T. in Cape Coral, FL, writes: British actor George Sanders, depressed over the deaths of his third wife, mother and brother the same year, along with failed investments, dementia, and a stroke, died of cardiac arrest two days after swallowing five bottles of the barbiturate Nembutal. He ended one of his two suicide notes this way: "I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck."

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