In this mornings mailbox were four columns from experts I trust.  I would recommend reading all of them, and subscribing to them.  We are at a critical time in our history as a country, and best to be well informed.  Subscribing is a thank you.

The four (click on name to access the link): Joyce Vance; Heather Cox Richardson; Robert Reich; Paul Krugman.

I like the four because they know their fields and are acknowledged as such.  I notice only one of them appear on Robert Reich’s list, including himself, and that’s okay.  If you read only one thing from the above four, read the last paragraph of Richardson’s post….

POSTNOTES: Later in today’s mail (May 20) came Robert Reich’s commencement speech to graduates at UC Berkeley.  Here is the speech.  It is powerful.

It appears, also, that it is time to dust off the recent post I did about Cuba, which seems to be the next target of our regime.  Here is the post.

Here is the Presidents niece, Mary T,  on the Presidential Slush Fund.

Early May 21:  important additions to the conversation: Heather Cox Richardson and Joyce Vance.

Tim Snyder, another of the thinkers I subscribe to has a very interesting video this morning (May 21).  It is about 13 minutes and you can watch it here.

Found in the junk at the North Dakota Farm and restored: Cover of 1920 pictorial history of WWI, Leslie-Judge New York 1920 edition.

No one, including the perpetrators, know when and how this misadventure we are living within is going to end, though it certainly will end.

I think it appropriate to study up a bit on characters of history like Al Capone and Napoléon Bonaparte.

Napoleon and Al Capone:

It is very easy to access more than you’d ever want to know about both men (or other similarly notorious men and sometimes women).  I provide only the tiniest bios here.

Napoleon (1769-1821) commissioned the Arc de Triomphe (1918 photo above) at the height of his power in 1804, about the time he had crowned himself emperor.  His reign lasted until 1814, with an abortive attempt to resume power in 1815.  He died at 51,

Al Capone (1899-1947) reached his zenith, seven years as a crime boss, during Prohibition.  He finally ended up in prison (1931-39).  He was 48 when he died.

Both men had their fans and their moment of fame.  It didn’t last for either.

At every age, humankind has been taken for fools by assorted egomaniacs who thought they had it all figured out how to outsmart the rest, and cheat accountability.  Similarly, at every age, these folks build a loyal following.

None of this succeeds in the long term, but succeeds longer than it should because good people like ourselves don’t get engaged for all of the reasons we all know.

Get on the court.

COMMENTS (more at end)

from Fred:  Thanks Dick, I read all the commentaries. Each had their own insightful view of the Dear Leader’s corruption. Same goes for your thoughts. All explore the many avenues, streets and boulevards full of rot. Will this be a bridge to far for kleptocracy, nepotism, and cronyism?