This is coming from an old guy of 69 (me). Why did we let our Dem leaders get so old, so out of touch?

[orchidlady]

91. old?

clearly you're nowhere near those ages you listed. just.you.wait. i hope you achieve ancient status; it's quite an amazing thing.

cognitive decline varies greatly individual to individual. as a neuropsychologist on the far side of 75, i know of what i speak, both personally and professionally. i can tell you this. i do need more rest than when i was 40, don't move as fast physically, but not only is my mind rather sharp (i'm told), but my memory is really good (save for the occasional name-finding moments; hey, a lot of stuff in my brain, hard to find things sometimes!)

i can also tell you this. what i may lack in speed i have gained immeasurably in wisdom. something that only comes with time and experience.

i was fully exercised about chuck's position, to the point of sending out msgs everywhere, calling each of those senators. but then i read a few pieces that shared the extent of complications involved, how there was hardly a way out (hell, the Rs cut this CR without any dems! shut us out!!), which gave me pause. the one that really got my attention was that courtrooms, tho they'd still operate, would not likely enjoy marshals for security.

the courts have been giving us win after win, especially yesterday when almost all fired employees in all agencies were ordered back to work. that's a big win, one that john roberts and amy barrett will have a very hard time blessing.

the CR is only for six months. yes, tons of damage will be done in that time, but much of it will only be attempted, as long as the courts have security to operate.

weighing this and other complications also exposed to me just how tangled up all this is. in many ways that's good; our system has these hurdles in place to slow down such insanity, and for the most part that's working to our advantage. but the larger issue is up to us, the people. the most important thing we can do right now is to find a way to remain UNITED!! i know chuck is old, but he has a ton of wisdom about these gnarly matters. i daresay no one here would have the first clue about all those tangles were we in his shoes. and i'm quite sure there was no choice he could have made that would have pleased everyone. still, i'm inclined to accept he made the best one available to hm. so blame the Rs for giving us a sophie's choice. always always always, blame the Rs!