I witnessed a particularly nasty American woman Republican - an avid Trump supporter naturally - about the recent leak of probably classified military information by some of the leading lights of the American administration. The reporter from Sky News was told that the Republican 'did not care a crap about the UK' and was, in effect, told to go home and sort out the UK's problems. Now it is quite rare to see such viciousness shown to a reporter asking quite legitimate questions but, nonetheless, shocking when you see it happening. The modern Republican party in the USA are so in thrall to Donald Trump that not even a whimper of dissent against his policies is heard. Some of the liberal commentators from CNN and MSNBC are indicating that there is a great of opposition to Trump, but nobody dare put their head above the parapet and say so. Meanwhile, Donald Trump himself has snarled that 'I believe that CNN and MSNBC, who literally write 97.6% bad about me, are political arms of the Democrat Party, and in my opinion, they are really corrupt, and they are illegal. What they do is illegal' during his remarks at the Justice Department. Incidentally, I heard an interesting discussion the other day wondering whether Donald Trump had any idea what was mean by the term 'illegal'. There are already several injunctions to prevent the illegal deportation of some Venezuelan refugees but the law just seems to be like a troublesome fly to be swatted aside and ignored rather than to be obeyed. The phrase consistently comes to mind, very much in the minds of the framers of the American constitutiion in the American Declaration of Independence that they are seeking to establish a framework of a 'a government of laws not of men'. This phrase is often associated with John Adams, a remarkable political philosopher, who served as the second President of the United States (1797-1801), after serving as the first Vice President under President George Washington. Adam's writings are particularly relevant today as he was particularly troubled by unbridled wealth. Shocked by the greed and self-interest he saw during the Revolution, Adams was convinced that the wealthy new American aristocracy—based upon commerce and speculation, rather than land—had to be tamed. And it was John Adams who helped to advance the concepts of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government and the necessity for 'checks and balances' One can only imagine what Adams would make of the present state of play in the American political scene and perhaps, in a few years time, we will all come to realise what a terrible aberration we are currently experiencing. It is quite possible, of course, that America ceases to be a democratic society and becomes a kind of 'pseudo-democracy' using as a kind of model the systems of governance that Putin enjoys in modern day Russia. There is in modern day America no middle ground between the current Republican party and the Democrats which makes any sensible legislation required in any modern democratic state to be successfully negotiated through the Congress.
Without wishing to sound too maudlin, I have been undertaking some researches that help explain the sudden disappearance of 'Miggles' the cat who had adopted us. I find from the internet that the average life of a cat is some 14-15 years but 'outside' cats are subject to much more risk of trauma, disease and injury and their life span is about half that of 'indoor' cats. Now Miggles was very definitely an outdoor cat being outside from the first thing in the morning until late at night and I have known the animal for some 7-8 years, feeding it titbits night and morning so it is possible that the cat has only lived the normal lifespan of an outdoor cat. A second hypothesis is that the owners have just moved away taking the cat with them. The fact that the cat's last appearance was a Friday and practically at the end of the month may lend support to the fact that the owner(s) have moved. Again, the cat and its owners has been 'homed' at the same address for 7-8 years and, statistically, it is not improbable that the owners have moved (or split up) and the cat has moved with them. Of these two hypotheses , I feel inclined towards the latter and if it is the case trust that the animal is happy in its new location. I suppose I have to tell myself that Miggles walked into my life some 7-8 years ago, provided much pleasure to myself and the other visitors (principally carers) to the house and has now moved out of my life and I need to be philosophical about this.
The doctor called me on the phone and I shall expect a visit from her this afternoon where we can discuss pain relief and other strategies to make Meg's life more comfortable. She made a visit in person in the early afternoon and Meg's oxygen levels, blood pressure and heart all seemed to be fine so the doctor left after telling me to carry on with the good work. I have received some reassuring news from the care agency that they will care for Meg 'as long as it takes' and for this I am relieved, as I would not want Meg to pass from one group of hands who know her well and care for her to another group who, however expert in their own way have not developed the relationship over time with Meg and myself. Meg is now asleep for much of the day (which presents its own challenges in terms of keeping her fed and hydrated) but in some ways is making life a tad easier. On a beautiful day like today, one's thoughts almost inevitably turn to what needs to be done in the garden, but I have to say that apart from regular lawn mowing and a 'one-off' blitz in the autumn, this has been somewhat neglected over the past few months. We are approaching the weekend when the clocks go forward, and we all lose an hour of sleep but gain from longer and lighter evenings. Whilst some appliances such as computers adjust themselves automatically, I seem to have a lot of clocks and watches around the house that will need readjustments on Sunday morning.
© Mike Hart [2025]