June 22, 2024: Woolgathering Over Coffee

It’s 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning, and I’m slowly waking up. I enjoyed my favorite eggs over rice for breakfast, a classic combination here. I’m already on my second cup of coffee, trying to shake off the remnants of last night’s insomnia—a common age-related affliction.

Let’s switch gears to a different topic today. Not summer dresses and young women, but nuclear weapons. In the 1980s, I was passionate about the unnecessary and indiscriminate nature of these weapons. The military shifted towards smart weapons and drone warfare, but recent saber-rattling and bombastic threats from leaders like Vlad “the Inept” Putin are making people think, “just in case, we might need a bomb” (referencing Tom Lehrer’s ‘The Year that Was,’ 1965, ‘Who’s Next’).

One of the burning questions in my mind is how figures like Vlad, Xi, Kim Jong Un, and even Trump managed to get elected. I can’t help but wonder because, honestly, I believe I could do their job just as well, if not better, without the need for nuclear weapons. In case you didn’t know, I ran for President of the US as a write-in candidate in 2012 (technically 2011—I got an early start). With today’s communication tools, maybe I should consider running again, but then I picture a crab in a bucket scenario, with friends trying to pull me back down. I’ve been there, done that. I may be 20 years younger than the current candidates, but the thought of running in 2028 comes and goes.

One question nags at me: How do such figures get elected in the first place? What qualities or circumstances do you think lead to the rise of these leaders, and what alternatives could steer us in a different direction?

For the record, I’m not a hawk; I just have little faith in diplomacy in our current era. I’ll delve deeper into this topic on another Saturday morning over a cup of coffee.

Do you share my skepticism, or do you hold onto hope that diplomacy can still pave the way for peaceful resolutions in international relations?

What are your thoughts on these questions? Let’s engage in a discussion and share our perspectives.

Join me for a cup of coffee next Saturday morning as we delve deeper into these thoughts and explore the complexities of leadership, global security, and the power of diplomacy.