Joseph Robinette Biden will step up on stage tonight, amidst all the pomp and circumstance imaginable, and he’ll weave the American public a fable about the economic and social condition of this country. He’ll lie straight to our faces and try to convince us that the state of our union is somehow strong. In fact, it could be argued that the state of the union is in active disarray, and every day a new issue claws its way into our lives.
Surely Biden will choose to talk about the unemployment rate being low, and he’ll probably mention how under his watch, the Covid pandemic is ‘finally under control’, or something to that effect. But he probably won’t get around to talking about how police are killing more Americans than ever before, or the tens of thousands of Americans experiencing homelessness right now. He’ll talk all about the state of the union, but he won’t talk about the plight of workers in this country trying to form one, whether rail workers in the Midwest or airline pilots or food service workers, the list goes on.
In a speech that will almost definitely run for hours, he might not have time to mention how this country has accepted an apartheid state as its closest ally, or the environmental destruction this country is promoting, not just within its borders, but around the world. I’m quite certain the coverage of this speech will include some flattery of the president’s dedication to preparing, including weeks of rehearsal to help overcome his stutter. I’d be more impressed if these weeks of rehearsal led to a speech that recognizes the dire situation this country is in.
Side Items
Blowing Off Steam: Remember that train crash in eastern Ohio? Well the bad news is that there was actually plenty of toxic gas in the wrecked train cars, and the other bad news is that authorities decided to release some of the toxic contents yesterday in a “controlled release” that looks like something out of a nightmare
Match Made in Heaven: A Baltimore couple were arrested and charged with plotting to attack the city’s electrical grid in an attempt to “completely destroy Baltimore”. They planned to inflict “maximum harm” by targeting five facilities operated by Baltimore Gas and Electric, which serves 1.2 million customers in central Maryland. The woman has a terminal kidney ailment which means she doesn’t expect to live more than a few months and she claimed she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile”. Her mans is a founding member of a neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division. It’s Romeo & Juliet meets V for Vendetta with a healthy serving of American History X mixed in
Financial Fraud in Futbol: Manchester City have undoubtedly been one of the most successful clubs in Europe over the last decade. But Premier League officials charged Man City, the reigning champion, with major financial rules violations. These rules don’t make sense, and I couldn’t explain them if I tried, but the punishments for the club could include points deductions or even expulsion from the league. As a supporter of the team that consistently lost out to Man City over the last five to ten years, sometimes it’s nice to watch someone else lose for once