January 1, 2020: Not So Fair Adieu, The Dark Side, Nightmares of Uncle Sam

As we end our second decade of this century, let us bid a not so fair adieu to 2019. Best remembered for yet another year in which we have allowed scum to occupy the highest offices in the land, 2019 is also a benchmark for other calamity. 2019 marked the 400^th anniversary of the introduction of black slavery in this country, four centuries of racial strife that has yet to be addressed honestly. 2019 also brought the 100^th anniversary of the Black Sox scandal, a Greek tragedy bought on by the peculiarly American form of greed, besmirching the national passtime. The year also commemorated the centennial of the Palmer Raids, a peculiarly American form of fear and paranoia, demonstrating—if demonstration is needed—that the nation has long been in the grip of greed, fear and paranoia. The dark side of the American psyche, like the current nightmares of Uncle Sam.

As noted in these columns, the year also saw the 40^th anniversary of Disco Demolition, a rare high point, if only to be measured as a bounce-back from a cultural low; kind of like Adam Dunn winning baseball's 'comeback of the year award' after hitting .214, a feat only recognizable because of his atrocious performance the previous year. Sometimes progress comes in small steps, sometimes it is aborted altogether.

“An' Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh”

Convict and Imprison.