2024: WHEW!!!

I’m 71 years young and have been paying attention to politics and world affairs since I was a kid. I lived through the Vietnam War, Watergate, the civil rights marches and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, trickle-down economics, Bill Clinton’s public infidelities and Hillary’s defense of his behavior, the pandemic, Lyndon Johnson’s lies, Donald Trump’s first term and his constant childish behavior, and so much more.

But I’m not sure I’ve ever lived through anything like 2024. So, as a public service, today’s post is a brief reminder of ONLY A FEW of this last year’s events offered in no particular order. Hang on to your hats, boys and girls!

• I’ll start with the obvious; Donald Trump was elected to a second term. The Democratic nominee, President Joe Biden, refused to ride off into retirement’s sunset until it was too late for his party to stage a real selection process, so Vice President Kamala Harris was thrust into an untenable situation resulting in her loss to Trump. Biden recently claimed he could have defeated Trump although his approval rating currently sits at about 36%.

• President-elect Trump nominated a number of questionable folks to fill high-level positions in his new administration, but none come close to his first Attorney General nominee, Matt Gaetz who, according to a House Ethics Committee report, allegedly paid for sex on several occasions, once with a girl who was only 17 years old. The report also accuses Gaetz of purchasing illegal drugs. A perfect candidate for America’s top law enforcement officer!

• We learned that Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas took luxurious vacations to exotic resorts at the expense of a Texas billionaire Republican donor, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s yard was decorated with an upside down American flag because of a disagreement with neighbors over Trump’s claims regarding the “stolen” election.

• Thanks to Russian oligarch Vladimir Putin, war continued in Ukraine resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the displacement of about 11 million civilians. And in October of 2023 the terrorist group Hamas attacked innocent Israeli civilians who were enjoying an outdoor music festival killing about 1,200 and injuring more than 5,000. In retaliation Israel has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians living in Gaza and injured more than 105,000. About 2,000,000 living in Gaza have been impacted because of damage to infrastructure affecting water, electricity, and fuel.

• South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s memoir bragged about taking her unruly 14-month-old puppy to a gravel pit and shooting it.

• Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal charges for corruption, fraud, and conspiracy. He allegedly accepted bribes from a Turkish official including flight upgrades, illegal campaign contributions, and luxury travel perks valued at about $100,000.

• President-elect Trump was found guilty on all 34 New York charges of illegal activity related to the 2016 presidential election, including paying hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet about their alleged affair. Trump was also indicted in Georgia for trying to illegally influence the 2016 election results there, and two federal indictments accused Trump of illegally interfering in that election and of hiding of classified documents.

• President Biden pardoned his son for all alleged federal crimes and then went on a pardoning spree, commuting the sentences of about 1,500 convicts and pardoning 39 more in a single day.

• 2024 will be recorded as the warmest year on record, and the last ten years are the warmest decade. Glaciers are melting at record rates. The World Meteorological Society has issued a “Red Alert” for all the good it will do.

• Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” grossed more than $2 billion and her new relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce oddly perturbed some folks.

• United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered in cold blood on a New York City street, allegedly by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, and thousands (possibly millions) of Americans seemed to approve.

• Hurricane Helene resulted in significant damage to property and lives in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

• Former President Jimmy Carter died after living a life of tremendous service. He was 100 years old.

These are only a few of this year’s highlights (or lowlights). I’m sure you are aware of many more.

Good news stories are often buried by media outlets, but CBS News recently published this piece highlighting an NFL player who achieved his dream of becoming a school teacher, a man who was paralyzed at age 17 but who recently completed a marathon in a wheelchair, a theater in Connecticut that hires folks with disabilities as ushers and ticket-takers, a Texas retiree who volunteers to drive folks to doctors’ appointments, a WNBA couple who play together on the court but who previously were competitors, a California volunteer group that hands out free food, a mom who opened a cafe in Pennsylvania to offer jobs to those who are disabled, and other uplifting stories. The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks to claim a record 18 NBA titles (I’m a Celtics fan!). As I’ve said previously, good news stories far outnumber the negative, but we rarely hear about those.

I’d like to say that there will be fewer negative stories to report in 2025, but I have my doubts. If you’ve been reading my blog in recent years I’m sure you know why. I sure hope I’m surprised.

I also hope you all have as very HAPPY NEW YEAR, and that your 2025 is filled with peace, joy, compassion, and love.

And thanks for following along.

David