This Intermittent Blog and Radical Localized Trumpism

As ludicrous as it seems for an old retiree to reference time management, my schedule has been reorganized with the homeschooling of the oldest of two grandsons.

The day's intended start time is 6 AM, but Nena's more intense anxiety gets her up at 5 AM to turn on the coffee pot, CNN and a few lights. Typically, by 5:30 AM, I've poured two cups of coffee and we're exchanging thoughts on the morning's news.

With the loss of  Nena's ability to read, we've been reading together for a few minutes each morning. We finished Bruce Springsteen's autobiography Born to Run last month and have been focused on Thomas Paine's Age of Reason, Volumes 1 and 2, written in 1793-4. We will share some observations soon from the latter work.

Like many first-time homeschool instructors, I fretted initially about covering enough curriculum. When Jack's dad removed him from BISD, he'd finished the first semester of first grade. Confident that he could handle something more challenging, I ordered second grade grammar, math, spelling, fourth grade geography and science and sixth grade reading workbooks.  We've covered from 25% to 42% of the year's curriculum in three weeks, so we can relax things a bit.

Blogging takes a back seat to this more critical, rewarding endeavor, but we still seem to spit out a few offerings on the weekend.

Radical Localized Trumpism

Portrayal of Trump,  Putin Attachment on SNL

Daily, I'm tempted to write a Trump story. My focal point could be an ill-advised tweet, a lack of understanding displayed of how government works, a slight to a foreign leader, a poorly-thought-out executive order or all of the above.  The opportunities are there, but yesterday's Trump faux pas quickly gets overshadowed by today's gaffe.

Of more interest and mystery are the men and women of Cameron County, those ladies who walk into church or meetingplace with Bible or Book of Mormon in hand, men who lead boy scouts or advocate for veterans.  These are not pussy-grabbers, racists or egomaniacs, but mostly boys and girls of immigrants, whose lives seem incongruous with the man they unhesitatingly support.

How were these locals radicalized?  Did they feel neglected, overlooked?  Were they seduced by the constant blare of right-wing radio or hypnotized by the Tea Party?  

A local BISD teacher, unsure of where I stood, told me last night:  "At least Trump is not a politician.  We've had enough of those.  I just wish he would keep his mouth shut!"

I told him I viewed Trump as the best politician of recent times, but much less capable of actually running the country.  

"He recognized and tapped into a mood in this country better than anyone else," I explained.

I'm not talking about Nazis, white supremacists, the KKK or the alt.right.  They preferred Trump, to be sure, but they don't represent the majority of Trumpites, certainly not the local ones.

It's not difficult to understand why a West Virginian, a former coal miner, would have supported Trump.  After all, Hillary Clinton stupidly made it plain she approved of closing the coal mines, while Trump promised to see to it that more coal was mined than ever if he was elected.

32.1% of Cameron County voters selected Donald J. Trump for President.