Previous | Next | Senate races | Menu
New polls:
Dem pickups: (None)
GOP pickups: (None)
Sunday Mailbag
There were so many Disney e-mails that we're going to split them into two parts, and run a second set next week. This week's set begins with the list of favorites from the individual who submitted the original question, D.E. in Lancaster, PA.
The complaints department makes a return this week. It probably won't be back again for a while, but it's useful to occasionally remind folks that we do get these e-mails. In any event, spoiler alert: If you haven't solved the headline theme this week, don't read the first letter in that section.
Politics: This Week in TrumpWorld
M.S. in Farmington, MO, writes: I would like to see some performer (like " Weird Al" Yankovic) sing "Taco, Taco Man" to the tune of "Macho, Macho, Man."
A.H.in Newberg, OR, writes: The TACO stuff is already here.
Go to YouTube and write "TACO" in the search line. There is a whole stream of song parodies to chose from.
You want merch, that is easy. Go to Etsy and type in "Trump Taco Shirt" and take your pick. You can sort by men's, women's, price, etc. Same search on Amazon returns a good selection.
M.S. in Hamden, CT, writes: I'm confused. Did Donald Trump just fire the head of the National Portrait Gallery or the head of the National Poultry Gallery?
Thanks for any clarification.
G.W. in Oxnard, CA, writes: I think the acronym Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO) is dangerous. Convicted Felon Trump (CFT) has a very fragile ego and a severe inferiority complex. TACO is pithy and hits him where it hurts like few of the previous criticisms have. It may prompt CFT to do something reckless that will have dire consequences that cannot be stopped, so chickening out is not an option after the deed is done.
J.J. in West Hollywood, CA, writes: You speculated about a few explanations for how Donald Trump (who likely has some cognitive issues) still manages to inspire fear. I would add one more.
"Show timing" is a well known phenomenon where someone with dementia "puts on an act" to appear normal or more functional than they actually are, particularly in front of certain people. It's quite common for patients to do this in front of their doctors when they have a medical check-up to avoid being perceived as incompetent, or to protect their dignity and independence. However, this tends to be short-lived (typically less than an hour, although this varies with the situation), and while they can be surprisingly convincing temporarily, they will struggle with other aspects of cognitive functioning just a few minutes later.
D.F. in Norcross, GA, writes: In response to your answer to J.E. in San Jose: Congrats on inventing a new word (as if there aren't enough already in the American lexicon, much less the entire English language). Now, I believe it is the duty of every individual in the resistance to make that new word, "tantrump," go viral.
L.C. in Brookline, MA, writes: You wrote: "...we understand well why mental health professionals do not presume to diagnose Donald Trump from a distance. And we also understand well that we have neither the information nor the expertise to diagnose Trump ourselves."
I'll save you the trouble. Diagnosis: Chaotic Evil.
J.M. in Sewickley, PA, writes: You wrote: "What if, say, Tuesday is the Trump-free day, and on Monday afternoon, he authorizes a military strike against Iran?"
How about this: Don't ever mention his name. Just note that "the current presidential administration's position on X is "[whatever the a**hole said today]"
He requires attention. Let's not give it to him. If he says it, it's probably not his idea anyway... probably Stephen Miller's or Steve Bannon's, so why even mention Trump's name? How angry and crazy would he get if he never got ANY headlines? They were all just attributed to other people in the administration? I gotta fantasize about his head exploding from internal pressure, or else him just crying quietly in the corner...
Politics: The Trade Wars
L.C. in Brookline, MA, writes: You wrote: "We've never fully understood why [Donald Trump]'s so obsessed with tariffs, or what he's actually trying to achieve (we've had plenty of theories, mind you, but no actual answers). We wonder if we've finally reached the point that he'll announce a few "beautiful trade deals" and then he'll quietly dispense with all the tariff talk."
I think he will keep it up as long as he and his inner circle can keep making big bucks from insider trading. This is something that the Justice Department should be investigating. Oh, wait...
S.N. in Charlotte, NC, writes: I'd say Rex Tillerson probably provided the best explanation when he called Trump a "f***ing moron" during Trump v1.0.
D.C. in Pampa, TX, writes: What seems like several lifetimes ago, I had a theory that the whole reason W. & Co. lied about WMDs, etc., and invaded Iraq when it had nothing to do with 9/11 was, essentially, that Georgie Boy had daddy issues. There's lots of evidence to suggest Bush Sr. didn't think highly of Jr., and even went so far as giving him "jobs" to keep him busy and out of view from reporters so he wasn't inflicting political damage. Junior therefore needed to show dad that he could pull-off something dad tried, but could not see through... even if it was illegal and based on lies, even if it would cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
I believe we have a similar situation with Donald Trump. There's the daddy issues certainly, but he also can't feel well that many (most?) of the male figures in his life have quite obviously not thought much of him, some even calling him stupid. That established, Trump has talked about tariffs being the "obvious" solution to all economic woes long before he was a politician. There's video footage of him grinning and talking about this decades ago.
So, it seems he may have something to prove here, for psychological/emotional reasons. He's gone on record for more than 20 years about how tariffs are the magical fix for everything, and how apparently only he is smart enough to know this. If he cannot validate this, it's admitting failure... and, perhaps more important, admitting that his father and all those other people were correct that he's not particularly smart, and maybe even stupid. The foundations of his psyche really seem to be so simple and narrow in scope, that such an admission may be tantamount to an entire psychological collapse, as it would fundamentally gut the entire foundations of each of, and the structure of the relationship between, his id, ego, and superego.
In the most primitive sense and for the most primitive reasons, he simply MUST prove he has some powerful and unique knowledge unavailable/unattainable to anyone else, and he alone will use it for massive positive change as he sees it. I really don't think it's any more complicated than that. All the flailing around, contradiction, inconsistency, hypocrisy, etc., is the reptilian part of the brain in fight-or-flight mode, the unconscious thought processes trying to save himself from collapse. Being as his foundations appear to be so simple and fragile, lacking any kind of reinforcements from either sound logic/knowledge or humility, it really doesn't take much to induce the panic. So, it's the brain's natural response to an acknowledgment of weakness/vulnerability.
I really don't suppose it's anything deeper or more complicated than that. He's a pretty simple and shallow guy, and this is all pretty rudimentary psychology that any psych undergrad could pin easily and quickly given such a profile.
S.F. in Chatham, NJ, writes: The annual Hallmark ornaments catalog arrived at our house with a special insert: a new price list reflecting an across-the-board increase of about 25%. A friend pointed out that the statement, "Prices reflected in the Dream Book are inaccurate," seems so on-the-nose:
Politics: Trump vs. Harvard
D.W. in Bloomfield, NJ, writes: You wrote: "Trump bragged this week that 'Harvard wants to fight. They want to show how smart they are, and they're getting their ass kicked.' But the evidence does not support that conclusion, as the university has already prevailed in court several times."
I believe Trump's idea of kicking ass isn't winning in court. For him kicking someone's ass means that he's forced them to spend money to fight in court. It doesn't matter if Trump wins or loses the court case; the fight is the point. It allows him to bully anyone who can't afford to fight in court, because they'll be afraid to stand up to him.
J.N. in Freeland, WA, writes: You wrote: "Steven Pinker... said that while much/all of this is being done in the name of fighting antisemitism, the actions of Trump and his minions are actually harming Jews."
Seems to me this would be a win/win (or a WIN/WIN) from Trump's standpoint. He gets credited for fighting antisemitism while simultaneously being antisemitic, which certainly seems to be at the core of MAGA.
E.C.F. in Somerville, MA, writes: Regarding the timing of Donald Trump's "ban" on international students at Harvard: I work for the Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE), the branch of Harvard that offers courses to the (global) general public, primarily through the Harvard Extension School. We're not the most famous part of Harvard, but in the course of a year we have more students than any graduate school at Harvard.
DCE has students all over the world. While many are just taking one or two courses, DCE does offer both undergrad and Master's degrees. Most degrees require that a student take at least two courses "on campus." The fall and spring terms are longer than three months, too long for us to offer visa sponsorship. So, many international student register for our seven-week summer term, for which we do offer visa sponsorship, to fulfill their degree requirements. That term starts June 23. Hundreds of students have already registered and paid, bought their plane tickets, been issued their visas, etc.
Would they be able to come if Trump's order goes through? We don't know. Would we be able to register any international students, even if they never come to the USA? We don't know. What about our international faculty coming to teach in the summer? We don't know. Like most of Trump's proclamations, it was so poorly thought out that it's unclear what would and would not be affected.
All this to say: There really is no "good" time of year for this kind of thing to come down. Like many universities, Harvard and its international students are active year-round.
J.W. in Newton, MA, writes: In your coverage of Donald Trump's effort to destroy the world's richest and (arguably) most prestigious university, you point out that the war on foreign students is shambolic and seem to suggest that it will be unsuccessful. I agree on the first point, but not on the second. Like the cruelty, the incompetence is the point. My fear is that the State Department will cancel many student visas, largely at random, forcing universities and international students to combat the cancellations in an understaffed, Kafkaesque system. This will elevate fear and anxiety among college faculty and brilliant, non-white students, two sets of people that Trump hates with passion.
M.C. in Glasgow, Scotland, writes: You asked: "[H]ow does one even determine if a citizen of a communist nation has 'ties to communism'? [H]ow does one determine if a student is working in a 'critical field'?"
Clearly, one feeds the student's data into Elon Musk's Grok 3 and accepts its answers, however random or ill-founded they are.
T.B. in Leon County, FL, writes: Please allow at least one shout-out to Tom Lehrer's "Fight Fiercely Harvard":
Just like Nostradamus, Lehrer obviously could see the future!
Politics: The Democrats
E.W. in Skaneateles, NY, writes: In response to your answer to the question from E.C.W. in New Orleans, I think that the Democrats shouldn't necessarily play dirty pool whenever they get power again, especially if they take the Senate in 2026 in addition to the House. One of the things I hear most from the young students I interact with regularly is that both parties are "the same." Democrats need to do a better job of drawing a contrast between what they want and what the Republicans want. Otherwise people will just not vote, vote according to their parents' party, or vote according to who promises them the most or fits best with them on social issues.
That's why I think that if the Democrats get Congress in 2026 they should immediately abolish the filibuster and then pass a bunch of bills that are extremely popular and dare Trump to veto them. Make D.C. and Puerto Rico into states. Codify Roe into law. Pass a national assault weapons ban and universal background checks. Raise the minimum wage to something livable. Do something big on climate change. And that's just to start with. See if he can break the record for the most vetoes ever.
A lot of young people don't understand the filibuster and don't understand why their president can't simply get things done. If they come to see the president as an impediment to all of those good important things, Democrats will cruise to a trifecta in 2028. It will also set them up for long-term success as young people start to see the Democrats are on their side.
People need to see that elections matter and lead to results that matter to their lives. For too long, Democrats have promised and not really delivered, or when they have delivered it's been on things that are wonky and people don't notice. Republicans are happy with the filibuster because it keeps the status quo in place and that benefits them the most. Democrats need to prove who they are and set up a better contrast with who Trump and the Republicans are. Otherwise it's just governing by executive orders and legislation that gets overturned by the Supreme Court or by the Republicans next time they're in power.
Politics: Memorial Day
R.L.D. in Sundance, WY, writes: Some time ago I wrote my Senator, Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), about renewing a small COVID-era program to pay for additional case workers to help veterans experiencing homelessness get back into regular housing. I don't recall any more how insignificant an amount of money was at stake, but I'm pretty sure it was less than a single billion. Sen. Lummis (or, more likely, her staff) wrote back to assure me that she cares deeply about veterans but it's the national debt that keeps her up at night. She has an office here in town. I'm going to print out a copy of the essay by A.G. in Scranton and take it down there. I don't know if the local staff has the emotional and intellectual integrity to pass it along to the Senator, but they all definitely need to read it.
K.C. in St. Augustine, DeSantisWorld, writes: It's a rare form of courage to slice your soul and share the raw contents with one person. A.G. in Scranton posted it on the Internet for all to read. Respect. And, please know this is meant sincerely, thank you. Wishing you peace and joy.
R.P. in Kāneʻohe, HI, writes: Please add my voice to what I'm certain will be a VOLUMINOUS chorus of kudos to A.G. in Scranton for the incredibly poignant and moving commentary on Memorial Day. There is often an inverse correlation between the extent to which a person signals their own patriotic virtue, and the authenticity of that patriotism. A.G.'s is very clearly as authentic as it gets. With all the sincerity in my heart, thank you, A.G.!
G.K. in Blue Island, IL, writes: Jesus. That's one of the best things I've ever read. Full stop.
M.M. in San Diego, CA, writes: William S. Burroughs has a literary rival in A.G. in Scranton.
A.H. in Newberg, OR, writes: Back on Memorial Day 2023, I was amazed to find my letter as the lead off for that day's post. I don't know if I was ever the first to be so honored, but definitely not the last. I am glad to see the—well, tradition is the wrong word—continue. My thanks to Electoral-Vote.com for continuing with readers submissions, and particularly to A.G. and to C.C. in Dallas for this year's thought-provoking and enlightening works.
This year, on the Friday before Memorial Day we put around 150 miles on the vehicle, visited 8 cemeteries in Oregon and southwest Washington, paid our respects and left remembrances at 21 grave sites, made sure they were presentable for services on Memorial Day. Of the 21, 14 were for veterans. Most were family, a couple were friends, one a classmate, and one my brother. A personal tradition we have maintained for 50-plus years.
This picture is from my brother's gravesite at Willamette National Cemetery, taken back in 2023:
I send it because this shows the flags on display row after row. They continue up that hill in the background and on down the other side. They were just getting started placing the flags on Friday when we were there this year.
D.M. in Berlin, Germany, writes: In his moving letter, A.G. in Scranton wrote that "Memorial Day's faux-patriotism isn't unique to America, though. That's a global problem." It is actually two problems, of which one is global, but the other, fortunately, is not anymore.
Patriotism, faux or otherwise, was basically invented in the late 18th century, spread as a fashion, and has now mostly fallen out of fashion. If you ask natural-born citizens if they're proud to be citizens of their country, generally the Americans say "yes," the Swiss say "yes," the Norwegians say "yes," the Chinese say "yes," the Russians believe they have to say "yes," but most other people will look at you like the question doesn't make sense. It doesn't, of course: You can't, literally, be proud of something that isn't an accomplishment of yours. Why should I love one piece of real estate (or the people on it) more than another? Even more, why should such love extend uniformly all the way to an arbitrary border and suddenly end there? Of course, most people have homes in the geographic sense and feel emotionally attached to them, but these things are nested; picking out the country as a level in that nesting and privileging it over all other levels makes no sense and is not how people work. Other people will shoehorn you into the categories they already have in their minds, but those aren't usually countries either.* You will see national flags when one national football team plays against another, and you'll hear the national anthem at the beginning of that game; hardly otherwise.
But you don't need to love any real or imaginary "us" to hate all others. That may be the great overarching lesson of the last 40 years. The fear and loathing of immigrants (including perfectly legal ones!) as a political force used by more or less charismatic but always authoritarian leaders began in France as that country's tradition of fervent patriotism was fading out, and at the same time in Austria, which had no such tradition and still doesn't. It then spread to Italy and Spain, where these traditions are controversial, and to Germany, which is very uncomfortable with that tradition; and then it jumped to the U.S., where people expect each other to be patriots like it's still 1910. The U.K. has it now; Russia has it (as one of several contradictory currents Vladimir Putin is trying to lead); Finland has it; Japan has it; Thailand has it; the Dominican Republic has it... it may not quite be global yet, but that's the way things are going.
Later, however, it, too, may yet pass.
* - Two E.U. politicians once put it like this in their book (I'm citing from memory): "In Antwerp you're from Ghent, in Brussels you're a Fleming, in Paris you're Belgian, in New York you're European, in Kinshasa you're white."
M.S. in Canton, NY, writes: In the introduction to your Memorial Day post, you noted that the observance of the day has shifted in tone, and that this is actually not unusual for holidays. In my more cynical moments, I've suggested that of the Seven Deadly Sins, five have U.S. holidays celebrated in their honor. Gluttony? Thanksgiving, of course. Lust? Too easy: Valentine's Day. (Have you looked at the greeting cards that are available for adult valentines? Yeesh.) Greed? Christmas. (What better for children learn the importance of getting lots and lots of stuff?) Pride? Fourth of July. And in a charming bit of naming irony... Sloth? Labor Day.
If we could somehow swap out envy for drunkenness, we could add New Year's Eve. As for a national holiday for Wrath, better not to give the current administration any ideas.
C.J. in Redondo Beach, CA, writes: I'm a bit of an amateur historian, especially of the era around World War I. I would say that Armistice Day was rarely thought of as some sort of "Victory" Day (except for 1918, of course, where the celebrations were exuberant, to say the least). In just about all of the newspaper articles I've read from the years following the war, it was commemorated almost like a second Memorial Day, with large crowds gathering to pay their respects at new memorials and such.
A few years ago I helped organize the restoration of a World War I Memorial Park and Monument in Los Angeles. Afterward, I have put together annual ceremonies so the memorials are not forgotten again. Since the monument was dedicated on Flag Day, that's when we have our event, no matter if it's a weekday or a weekend... or the Felon in Chief's parade day.
Politics: Killing Tyler?
C.Z. in Sacramento, CA, writes: This made me laugh out loud: "Put another way: Did you, or did you not, kill Harrison Ruffin Tyler with your e-mail?"
Thanks, I needed that!
S.O.S. in Madison, WI, writes: Did you, or did you not, kill Harrison Ruffin Tyler with your e-mail? Put another way: Schrödinger's Ruffin.
A.G. in Scranton, PA, writes: You killed Tyler's grandson. You bastard!
All Politics Is Local
J.H.C.V. in West End, NC, writes: There is a read-between-the-lines theme in Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) run for governor. He claimed to have prayed on it and made his decision in accord with those prayers; this explanation is strikingly close to something MAGA-esque, where newly evgelicalized politicians court the MAGA base; but it also hints that even MAGA may have realized the stupidity of the senator from Alabama and sought to remove him via a lateral move to governor of the Yellowhammer State, where his stupidity might be less observable than in the U.S. Senate.
T.G. in Daleyville, WI, writes: I'm very disappointed that you slighted Wisco-World's very own Ron Johnson (R) in your list of the dumbest senators. RoJo, before Tuberville usurped him, was widely regarded as the undisputed god of senatorial stupidity. How far the mighty have fallen...
M.S. in Canton, NY, writes: You note that David Jones, candidate for governor of Maine, is not the David Jones concerned with "Fame." Perhaps instead the candidate is a Daydream Believer?
(V) & (Z) respond: Well, we're pretty sure the Maine GOP would like to put him on the "Last Train to Clarksville."
A.N. in Tempe, AZ, writes: M.M. in San Jose wrote: "A potential hurdle faced by California in its mandate to adopt electric cars is the amount of electricity generation that implies... the state will need about 85 terawatt-hours/year... Thus, we will have to more than double California's total electric capacity within a decade."
What is totally missing and vitally important from this analysis is the time of use of the increased electricity demand. Since most EVs are charged overnight, and since electricity demand and production is at its minimum during this time, existing infrastructure can already handle the potential increase in electricity demand from an all-EV transportation fleet simply by increasing production with existing capacity at night (still below peak rates), rather than throttling down power plants to base load generation.
On average, if the entire U.S. converted tonight to 100% EVs for personal transportation, there is adequate electricity generation capability. However, nighttime charging would have to predominate, as it does now for current EV owners, but may not for others who cannot easily charge at home—those less likely to be current EV owners, and some (not many) locations around the country do not have huge daily gaps between peak and base load electricity demand/production where localized capacity could be exceeded.
Another important caveat is overall increasing electricity demand. Crypto miners and AI and other data servers are growing exponentially and create huge competition for 24 hr/day electricity demand worldwide. EV use may be less dominant in the near future than computer servers in the increasing electricity demand balance.
Romantic Movies
S.E.Z. in New Haven, CT, writes: The best romantic films list should include Shakespeare in Love.
And my favorite is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Casablanca is my choice for best movie overall, but not because of its love story component.
D.S. in Layton. UH, writes: I am not going to argue Casablanca at number one. That is not opinion, it is indisputable fact.
But number two is The Notebook.
D.S. in Palo Alto, CA, writes: I might add Moulin Rouge (with its own "Roxanne" song) to the mix. Were it not for that coughing up blood...
K.H. in Milford, NH, writes: I'll agree on Casablanca and The Princess Bride (although the latter isn't all that romantic). I have a soft spot for Roxanne as well, though I'm not so sure it's "one of the best." On Golden Pond is well-acted but not so romantic, and Titanic is one of those over-the-top productions that are too bombastic to appreciate the love story. The scenes of the ship going down are far and away the most memorable.
I humbly offer some of my favorites: (1) Moonstruck: pitch perfect from start to finish; (2) Dr. Zhivago: You want epic? There you go; (2) The Way We Were: What's a list of romantic movies without a tearjerker?
Star Trek and Other Sci-Fi
P.S. in Portland, ME, writes: I would have answered yesterday's first question like this:
"Donald Trump's second term was an unqualified disaster. But it set forces in motion that are leading to improved security and prosperity worldwide..."
...in very much the vision of Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek.
R.C. in Pittsburgh, PA, writes: M.R. in Santa Rosa asked: "Why was Jean-Luc Picard's character written as a Frenchman, yet portrayed by an English actor, speaking in his native accent, and ordering Earl Grey tea from the replicator every episode?"
Given how Star Trek's Universal Translator gives perfect English to aliens who've never learned any human language at all, and even chooses a British accent for some of the more aristocratic ones, who's to say Jean-Luc wasn't speaking in French the whole time?
T.L. in West Orange, NJ, writes: Just to add a little bit more to your excellent answer to M.R. in Santa Rosa about Jean-Luc Picard's English accent.
Picard does speak French briefly, in a few cases.
In the first season's "The Last Outpost," he responds to a desperate situation with a somewhat disgruntled "Merde!" A bit later in the season he sees an image of his mother, and if memory serves the two characters speak French to one another. And, of course, in the classic "Chain of Command" two-parter, while under torture he starts singing, "Sur le pont d'Avignon" before lapsing into incoherence.
I think these examples bolster your original answer pretty well: Yes, some French culture survives, so having a Frenchman speak British English does in fact give the almost unconscious message that things have changed in a few hundred years.
(V) & (Z) respond: He also sings "Frère Jacques" in "Disaster" and plays it on his flute in two different episodes.
C.M.W. in Myrtle Beach, SC, writes: You wrote "First, because Star Trek: The Next Generation was designed to be similar, but not TOO similar, to Star Trek. The original had a character from the U.K. (Montgomery Scott), so the sequel had a character from France. Still Europe, of course, but different country."
They actually explained/retconned this somewhat in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard (the worst Trek series, IMO, so I don't blame you for not watching or blacking it out).
The Picard family fled France during World War II and lived in England for several generations, eventually reclaiming their vineyard. This explains why Picard and his family retained a British accent despite their French heritage.
Pretty emblematic of newer Trek and their need to explain every little continuity thing and fan service.
Still, "meh" Trek is better than awesome most everything else.
(V) & (Z) respond: We knew about this, but understood the question to be about how the choice was made when The Next Generation first launched.
L.S. in Queens, NY, writes: In my opinion, Strange New Worlds is the closest to a reboot of the original Star Trek. The characters from the original who have been on the new show: Christopher Pike, Spock, Uhura, Nurse Chapel, Dr. M'Benga, Sarek, T'Pring, James Kirk, George "Sam" Kirk, Scotty, and more.
Season 3 debuts July 17.
My pet peeve: In "What Are Little Girls Made of?", it was stated that only James Kirk calls his brother "Sam". But on Strange New Worlds, everyone call him Sam. Was it too expensive to call him George?
Live long and prosper.
G.S. in Kalamazoo, MI, writes: Under promise and over deliver. If you think you will publish at 6:30 a.m. PT, tell us it will be 9:30 a.m. PT, freeing you to exceed our expectations. My F5 is wearing out. Your work is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
(V) & (Z) respond: This is how Scotty developed a reputation as a miracle worker.
G.W. in Oxnard, CA, writes: I need to rebut the review of the movie The Martian by T.B. in Bozeman.
As a physicist and missile engineer, I have a lot of problems with that movie. I lost a lot of respect for Neil deGrasse Tyson when his only issue with the movie was that the windstorms on Mars are tiny compared to the one on the film. For starters, they sent a botanist on the mission. What was he supposed to do? Assign Latin names to all the flora they were going to find? There are millions of people on Earth better qualified to go on the mission.
I could rant about the inaccuracies of the movie for a long time, but the bottom line is the movie made it seem like achieving manned occupation of Mars is within reach of current technology. It is far more difficult than suggested by the movie and the dirty little secret (that is no secret to scientists) is that there has been no scientific reason to send people to space for more than 20 years. Every scientific objective can be achieved with robotic and automated missions at far less cost. There have been 24 humans total who have left the Earth's magnetosphere—namely, the Apollo astronauts. All 24 had life-long health effects, and they were exposed to the radiation of space for 2 to 4 weeks. If there is an actual manned mission to Mars, the people are not coming back alive. The manned mission to Mars is a multibillion dollar boondoggle that is supported by the public's need to have a sense of adventure.
Disney, Part I
D.E. in Lancaster, PA, writes: When I was 10 in 1971, my family moved to Pacific Grove/Monterey, CA. My birthday present that year was my first trip to Disneyland. In the 2 years we lived in California, we went again at least five more times. As a kid who lived in his own imagination, going to Disneyland was like finding Home. I became enthralled with everything about it. At one point, I wrote Disneyland with my idea for an attraction/ride—which in the present time, sounds suspiciously like what would become Animal Kingdom in Florida. Hmmm. I got a reply from Disneyland, and it was clearly hand typed and not a Xeroxed form letter since it talked about the particulars of my idea. The letter ended by saying that once I came of age, that they would make sure I had a job at Disneyland. My parents were thrilled, thinking I had landed a potentially high-paying job in my future. I, on the other hand quickly pointed out that the letter didn't say what kind of job. I didn't want to be the guy who swept up cigarette butts of the ground; I wanted to be the guy who created the rides! Oddly enough, I've never been to Disney World but have returned to Disneyland as an adult.
Anyway, if you are wondering, my Top Three Rides are:
- The Haunted Mansion: The ballroom scene enthralled me because I couldn't figure out how it was done—in fact, it wasn't until the age of YouTube that I understood how they accomplished it. I must have driven my parents crazy playing the theme on the piano constantly. I was able to quote the entire "Ghost Host" monologue, "When hinges creak in doorless chambers..." As an even younger child, I would create haunted rides in my grandparents' house and the Haunted Mansion was and is everything I could have wanted and more. Even though I know the ride backwards and forwards, it never stops scaring and, strangely enough, amusing. That is one of the reasons it is so perfect in that it jumps nimbly from laughter to screams and back again, which, of course, just adds to the sense of unease you feel. If there are any ghosts in the world, they have to be exactly like the 999 haunts here. This is the best of the best!
- Indiana Jones Adventure: Those damn "darts" scare the bejesus out of me every single time. It also, for me, has one of the best queues of any ride around—in fact, I often wish I could dawdle more to look at all the little details! For an IP of five films, a TV show, numerous video games and comics, and not to mention a horde of other IPs riffing on it, it's incredibly hard to capture the true essence of Indiana Jones—hell, they really only managed to do that in two, maybe two and a half, films—yet this ride is quintessential Indiana Jones!
- The Pirates of the Caribbean: My favorite part is the first few minutes as you drift lazily from Lafitte's Landing through the bayou with the fireflies flickering in the distance—I was an odd kid and still am. Because of the open nature of the boat, it's one of a few Disney rides that doesn't focus your attention to one tableaux. Instead it's a chaotic ride in that things are happening all around, with many minor bits of action taking place opposite of where your main focus should be. My favorite little detail is that at one point, the boat floats under a bridge with drunk pirates dangling their feet over you. If you look up, the barefoot pirate's feet are filthy with dirt. If you don't believe in pirates at that moment, you have no imagination and there's no hope for you!
Strangely, given my love of science fiction, Tomorrowland's rides never really lived up to their potential, although as a kid, I was particularly enamored of the Monorail. It's possibly where my love of mass transit originated. "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" was also the springboard for my admiration of our sixteenth president. As a 10-year-old, I was positive that Mr. Lincoln was an actor and not a robot. The last time I was at the park (before the recent updating), sadly, the animatronic figure was looking a little worse for the wear but the speech still inspired. Even as a kid, the things I loved the most about Disneyland, were the small things, the attention to little details that made the fantasy come to life. It wasn't specifically the thrills or the chills, it was the way all the parts created the whole ambiance.
C.L. in Glendale, AZ, writes: (Z) writes: "So, the rides that stick with you, and that are therefore (Z)'s favorites, are the ones driven more by story and atmosphere... in third place is The Jungle Cruise."
One of my dorm-mates at Pepperdine in the mid-'70s was a theatre/dramatic arts major who worked one or more summers at Disneyland as a "riverboat guide" on the Jungle Cruise. I don't remember how/why this event was organized, but a significant number of residents gathered in the dorm's common area one night as my friend, with the lights dimmed, gave a "dramatic" recital of the entire guide script from memory. There may not have been any audio-animatronic hippos, but the story held up (and he got a standing ovation for his efforts).
C.S. in Philadelphia, PA (but grew up in South Florida), writes: We went to Disney World annually, and my favorite ride was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. My parents put me in the "driver's seat" and would say it was my driving that caused craziness. Disappointment reigned when they closed the ride. Thank you, D.E. in Lancaster, for bringing back some fond childhood memories.
Z.L. in Somerville, MA, writes: I grew up in Southern California in the 1980s and 90s and I would say the best attractions at Disneyland were, hands down, the performances. My top favorites: (3) Fantasmic! was an absolute blast with its classic Disney music and seamlessly combined cutting edge mixture of lasers, projections, massive-scale animatronics, and live performers; (2) Fireworks: I would say the fireworks shows I saw at Disneyland were some of the most dramatic rockets I've seen combined with impossibly precise choreography that boggled my little mind; and (1) The greatest attraction at Disneyland, hands down, has always been the barbershop quartet. Walking down the street and being serenaded by heavenly harmonies created without any gadgets, gizmos, or gimmicks was enough to make even me nostalgic.
A.U. in Carnation, WA, writes: Regarding favorite Disneyland rides, here's an answer from an old guy...
I also have only ever been to Disneyland in Southern California. The first time was with my parents and brother a few years after it opened, and my favorite ride at that time was the Matterhorn. Second favorite would be Autopia—the cars actually had no rails for steering—you actually got to steer the car!
Later visits were with my wife. We lived in northern California and would fairly often take the PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) $10 midnight flyer to L.A. and spend a weekend visiting Disneyland. Favorite ride from that period is probably Space Mountain. I also thought the gondola ride over the park was cool! So was Pirates of the Caribbean (and we loved the restaurant).
More recent visits have been with a grandkid in tow. Favorite ride is the California Adventure roller coaster that flips you upside down, The Incredicoaster. Second favorite is Soaring over California, also in California Adventure. We spend most of our time in Disneyland, though, and still enjoy Space Mountain...
C.Z. in Sacramento, CA, writes: Due to my severe motion sickness, I have to avoid thrill rides or basically anything that moves and turns, including carousels. So my Disney favorites are Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and The Enchanted Tiki Room. Oh well, it gives me more time to enjoy the beautiful landscaping while everyone else is standing in line.
P.K. in Marshalltown, IA, writes: Boy, where does one start? There is so much I detest about Walt Disney and the empire he spawned. The racism, fascism, and ego seems like a good beginning. As my lovely wife are both historians, our kids spent much time visiting Civil War (Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Stones River) and other battlefields (Little Big Horn and Tippecanoe being a couple that come to mind); such homes of prominent Americans as Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Graceland; Boston's Freedom Trail, Lexington, and Concord (including Author's Ridge in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery); and assorted museums. By gum, they did Lincolnmania (the Lincoln sites in Springfield and New Salem). A friend once said that was child abuse and that we needed to take them to Disney. I responded that if one ever sees me on a Disney property to alert local law enforcement, as I am there against my will.
OK, now for my favorite "Disney" spot. The picture below is Smiley The Tent, a property of the Samoset Council, Scouting America, and its Crystal Lake Scout Reservation. Several Disney artists visited the reservation's Camp Tesomas and their drawings became the background used in "Bambi." As a reward, the artists created Smiley for the camp and granted use of the Disney font to the Council. Walt apparently was not happy when he learned the promises they made, but there you go. My son and I spent much quality time at Camp Tesomas, where he served on staff for a couple summers. Tesomas is my happy place. Take that, Walt.
The Sporting Life
L.S. in Greensboro, NC, writes: Since you brought up the Browns/49ers game in 1970 as the Browns' first NFL inter-conference game, it's interesting to point out another fact about this matchup. The Browns (now Ravens) and the 49ers are the only two surviving member of the first league to challenge the NFL, namely the All-American Football Conference (AAFC).
By the way, this also highlights the fact that Alex Ovechkin has not yet broken Gretzky's major league hockey goal-scoring record, since the latter had 46 goals in his rookie season in the WHA, giving him 940 goals for his career. After all, if the NFL recognizes player stats from the AAFC, which it does, then the NHL should recognize stats from the WHA which lasted nearly twice as long (7 seasons vs 4) and has twice as many surviving teams in the NHL (4, the Oilers, Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Mammoths).
M.M. in San Diego, CA, writes: You noted that a team that has two quarterbacks really has no quarterback, and that "[the Browns] actually have FIVE quarterbacks (with all that implies)."
We just have lots of spares, buuuut that doesn't bode well for the Dog Pound this season, does it?
L.E. in Putnam County, NY, writes: Please, direct any derision of Cleveland baseball not to the current American League entrant,but to the old National League Cleveland Spiders, whose 20-134 1899 season should never be forgotten as they played to extinction once their owners sent all the good players to the St. Louis team they ALSO owned (leading to a "can't own more than one" rule used ever since).
No subsequent Cleveland team has played so badly they did not see another season.
Just for the giggles, I've wanted to see computer simulations of games between the 1899 Spiders and 1906 Cubs, with their polar-opposite historical winning percentages.
A.R.S. in West Chester, PA, writes: In response to B.B. in Dunnellon, it was the Rochester Royals who moved to Cincinnati. The Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers.
G.R. in Tarzana, CA, writes: Just wanted to confirm your impression of Rod Carew. Was a big fan of his growing up, and thanks to my weird, occasional former job as a stringer for MLB.com, I got to chat with Carew in the Angels locker room, and rather than talk about baseball or his career, we discussed golf and the joys and frustrations of throwing a bat mitzvah. Couldn't be nicer or funnier.
S.M. in Toronto, ON, Canada, writes: I think you're vastly overestimating how Trump-friendly wrestling fans are. WWE (and their upstart struggling competition AEW) has greatly turned over their audience in recent years, and I strongly suspect that even in Florida it's not nearly as right-leaning as (WWE's sister company) UFC's.
The best example of this would be Trump-supporting Hulk Hogan getting absolutely booed out of the building during the Raw Netflix* premiere in LA, with the Ron DeSantis incident you wrote about as another piece of evidence. I'm pretty sure Dana White was booed at Wrestlemania too, in his de facto home town of Vegas.
WWE seems to have recognized what a liability Hogan is now in the current environment, as they haven't used him since (in spite of him being in commercials for future events that certainly implied his participation).
I'd link to the Hogan booing segment, but it was never uploaded to the WWE Youtube. You can find it easily enough via Google (as well as Hogan telling more of his customary ludicrous falsehoods about why it happened. as he desperately tried to spin control in the weeks that followed).
* - Don't discount Netflix's influence here; They bought into WWE primarily to roll out live programming internationally, and they know how poisonous Trump supporters are to the international audience. WWE's also doing a lot more international touring under their new ownership group, and, again, I don't think they want to appear Trump-friendly.
Philately
R.M. in Williamstown, WV, writes: I wanted to respond to M.B. in San Antonio, who asked: "By the way, are there any other philatelists on Electoral-Vote.com?"
Indeed, there is at least one. Started seriously collecting mint U.S. stamps while I was in Viet Nam (that certainly certifies me as an old codger) and have been at it ever since. Now have an entire wall full of albums and stock books.
J.S. in Germantown, OH, writes: In response to M.B. in San Antonio, I was big into philately when I was younger but fell out of it when I went off to college. I belonged to a mail-order service that would deliver stamps, loved to browse a stamp store, and would regularly borrow volumes of Scott's from the library. In high school, I even started designing a board game based on stamp collecting... good times, good times...
I've sinced moved on to collecting bigger perforated items, namely 16mm films.
G.K. in Blue Island, IL, writes: You wrote: "We suspect some readers have acquired the hobby, as well, but we don't have any direct evidence."
Will an open confession do? I so wanted to collect stamps as a kid that I promised my parents I'd learn to swim by my 12th birthday if I could only have a stamp album in which to put the stamps I soaked off of envelopes. That said, it's interesting M.B. in San Antonio included an image of the Monaco FDR stamp, as it's somewhat notorious for being an error-that-isn't-an-error. In fact, both the error story and its commonly-accepted rebuttal are incorrect. The story is the stamp engraver accidentally gave FDR six fingers on his left hand (five fingers and a thumb), and sure, at first glance it does look like that. The commonly-accepted rebuttal is that the lowest "finger" is actually the white cuff of the President's sleeve, and the engraver simply didn't delineate it very well (google it and see how often that story comes up). I submit for your consideration the actual image that the engraver used (attached), showing that the errant "finger" is actually the palm of his hand:
This is what philatelists do. We research to a ridiculous level of detail the origin stories and production eccentricities behind a common activity of governments the world over. We appreciate the time and effort dedicated to creating something for the use of citizens that goes beyond mere utility, and we respect the nearly 200-year institution that gave rise to it (i.e., prepaid postage). I would venture a guess that most American philatelists are, by nature, diametrically opposite the nature of most members of the current administration, and are thus, like me, living in Hell at present.
Bidets
L.B. in Savannah, GA, writes: Another reason why few Americans use bidets: The only person I know who uses a bidet is a friend from college who is a biologist, conducting research in Central America. I asked him about the shock of room-temperature water on his posterior, and he described even the tropical-temperature water there as "bracing." You can just imagine what room-temperature tap water feels like in New York or Chicago during the winter—probably not something most Americans would appreciate.
D.S. in Layton, UT, writes: We have four bathrooms and have placed a bidet a bidet on each toilet. We got them on Amazon for less than $45 a piece, and with the help of YouTube it took less than five minutes to install each one. Furthermore, every guest we have had who has tried them got out their phones and placed orders immediately.
They are the greatest, and now we feel like savages when we use toilets that do not have them.
I.F. in Toronto, ON, Canada, writes: I live in an old apartment building and, after my last trip to Japan, I thought "Why haven't I gotten a bidet yet?" So, I did. Installation was a simple matter, removing the old seat, installing the new one, and then connecting to power and water. It has been an absolute godsend and neither difficult to install or use. The only critical consideration was getting the right seat shape. There are only two, round and elongated. Beyond that, it's only a matter of features that you want.
Complaints Department
B.C. in Forest Park, IL, writes: I am often aghast at the level of vitriol you receive for everything from scheduling issues to editorial choices, and I am loath to contribute to it in any way. That said, I do feel compelled to voice an objection here.
Friday's headline theme clearly has something to do with the Harry Potter franchise, and considering that J.K. Rowling is among the world's most prominent transphobes, it left a really bad taste in my mouth. At the moment, trans people need all the support they can muster, and while referencing Harry Potter does not constitute an endorsement of J.K. Rowling, it does, at least tangentially, promote her work.
J.O. in Las Vegas, NV, writes: Using Prince Harry and King Charles III for a freudenfreude piece just feels wrong. I think there must be plenty more people who deserve what's coming to them. Don't get me wrong. I think what King Charles did in Canada was well thought out and executed. But maybe that was the wrong place to put that story. Or maybe leaving Prince Harry out of the story and using Donald Trump as the foil would have been better.
P.D.N. in Boardman, OH, writes: I was surprised you devoted an item to Harrison Ruffin Tyler. Perhaps it's of historical interest to you, who are an historian after all, but I don't see that his death merited additional comment since I'd already read the obit in The New York Times. First, John Tyler was hardly an exemplary president or even an admirable human being. And when I learned the Ruffin in Harrison's name referred to Edmund Ruffin, a name I despise, I found it all even more distasteful. No, we can't choose our ancestors, but we can choose whose memory to honor.
N.S. in Milwaukee, WI, writes: Okay, I just can't hold back anymore. When are you going to correct your continual misuse of the word "underway" when you clearly mean "ongoing"?
Cal Ripken's streak could not have been underway in 2004 because it was underway in 1981, irrespective of whether it was ongoing on May 24, 2004. Of course, it was neither in 2004, but that does not change the point.
Gallimaufry
M.W. in Ottawa, ON, Canada, writes: When discussing the cast of Saturday Night Live, you pointed out Mike Myers' Canadian sympathies, but neglected to point out the same is true of Dan Aykroyd.
In 1988, the Ottawa Little Theatre published a 75th Anniversary Theatre Cookbook containing recipes from alumni. I reproduce below their Macaroni and Cheese recipe:
8 oz. elbow macaroni
6 Tbsp butter
½ cup flour
½ tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¾ tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cups milk
1 small onion, grated
¾ lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup soft breadcrumbs
Parsley or chives
Cook macaroni. Put in 2½-3 quart casserole. Melt 4 Tbsp butter; blend in flour and seasonings; add milk and onion. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese; pour over macaroni and mix lightly. Top with crumbs and finely chopped parsley or chives mixed with remaining 2 Tbsp melted butter. Bake in moderate oven, 375°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 4-6.
Dan Aykroyd
Actor, Hollywood
School of the Theatre, Class of '63My wife and I make this regularly, halving the quantities, metricating the measurements and substituting soy sauce for Worcestershire.
K.D. in North Vancouver, BC, Canada, writes: Not to diminish the great and important work you do: Last weekend's postings, in my opinion, were some of my favorite Electoral-Vote.com posts of all time. They were lighthearted, fun, yet still informative in all the ways I love about this site. My soul needed it, and I'm thrilled this (or something like it) can be a regular occurrence.
D.S. in Layton, UT, writes: I personally LOVE the fun days and would be totally on board with at least one weekend a month of a politically free items. Two weekends would be even better.
(V) & (Z) respond: Two would be rough, but because of the many e-mails like these two, one weekend a month is locked and loaded.
Final Words
D.E. in Lancaster, PA, writes: From the pet cemetery outside the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland, on the tomb for Bully the Frog: "You didn't drink/You didn't smoke/I just can't figure out/ What made you croak."
If you have suggestions for this feature, please send them along.
Previous | Next
Main page for smartphones