Welp...

I'm not shocked by Donald Trump's victory in yesterday's Presidential election. Disgusted, yes. But not surprised.

He already won once, after all. And he barely lost four years ago. Aside from his rabid cult of supporters, incumbent governments all around the world have been systematically rejected by voters on account of anger over post-pandemic inflation and supply chain issues, so it's no surprise that the same dynamic would play out in the United States. If Joe Biden had not stepped aside for Kamala Harris, or if Ron Desantis or Nikki Haley had been the Republican nominee rather than Trump, the margins would probably have been even worse. 

Donald Trump is a twice-impeached, adjudicated rapist, convicted felon, insurrectionist, malignant narcissist and pathological liar who is in severe cognitive decline and who is on a grievance-fueled rage. Apparently none of that mattered to the American voter. 

Whatever the final margin, the American people have returned this blatantly, dangerously unfit man to power. In the end, nothing mattered. Not the sexual assaults, the frauds, the lies, or the felonies. Not the raw bigotry of his campaign; not the insults, nor the threats. In the most graphic terms imaginable, the American people were warned of the danger. His previously loyal vice president refused to endorse him; his top general called him a ‘total fascist’; some of his closes aides and cabinet members described in detail his erratic character and his indifference to the Constitution.

Come January 20th, Donald Trump will once again become President of the United States. The incompetence, subterfuge and chaos that defined Trump's term will likely be replaced by a more targeted campaign of nativism, reactionism and retribution. He will be empowered by a Republican-controlled Congress for which extremism is no vice. 

Ego-driven tech bros like like Elon Musk will be in charge of our economy and conspiracy-peddling nutjobs like RFK, Jr will be in charge of our healthcare. The Federalist Society will be loading up the federal judiciary with right-wing extremists and the Heritage Foundation will be free to implement their christofascist Project 2025 agenda. 

There will be a nationwide abortion ban, mass deportations, a gutted federal civil service, and inflation-inducing tariffs. Ukraine will be abandoned, NATO will be forsaken, the Affordable Care Act will be dismantled, and the climate crisis will be ignored. Re-emboldened right-wing militias will patrol our streets and Trump's political opponents will be persecuted. And if anything happens to the 78-year-old man, Vice President and fanatical patriarch J. D. Vance will be ready to take over and carry on with the cause. 

This nation has sleepwalked into authoritarianism because egg prices were too high. A lot of people who are currently celebrating today will likely be changing their tune many months from now, as Trump's "policies," such as they were, take effect. By then, I fear, it might be too late.

Dark and ugly days are ahead of us, folks. I need to start making plans about my future, and whether it involves continuing to live in this nation as it descends into the abyss.

As I said: I am disgusted.

Philadelphia

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a conference, It was my first trip to the City of Brotherly Love and the weather was excellent for some picture-taking:

Logan Square, looking down Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards City Hall

Market Street, with the iconic PSFS building in the distance

Historic churches and modern skyscrapers in downtown Philadelphia

Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed

The Liberty Bell, on display across the street from Independence Hall

Reading Terminal Market, a former train station featuring a variety of restaurants and shops

Speaking of trains! Jefferson Station is served by SEPTA's extensive Regional Rail system

Going forward, I need to make a point to either come in to town the day before a convention or stay a day after so I can spend more time exploring. It's kind of hard to sight-see and attend seminars at the same time...

UH football: turning the corner

I haven't been able to write over the past few weeks, so here's a quick recap of the Cougars' last three games. This program is definitely showing improvement.

Houston 14, Kansas 42: Coming off the upset victory over TCU and a week off to rest, I thought the Cougars would be prepared to face the Jayhawks at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. They were not. Houston fell into a 0-21 hole early on and, after a flash of competitiveness - they scored on a pair of Donovan Smith touchdown passes to trail 14-28 at the break - were unable to put any additional points on the board in the second half. Smith and Zeon Chriss combined to throw four interceptions and suffer seven sacks, while the Cougar defense surrendered 467 yards to the Jayhawks. All in all a disappointing outing.

To add insult to injury, Kansas's win over Houston ended their five-game losing streak.

Houston 17, Utah 14: A.J. Haulcy intercepted a Utah pass late in the fourth quarter and Jack Martin kicked a 43-yard walk-off field goal to secure a homecoming victory over the Utes. The Cougars managed to win in spite of completing only 6 passes for 61 yards (it's been awhile since Houston was able to do that) and squandering a pair of fourth-and-goal attempts at the Utah goal line.

Fortunately for the Coogs, Utah made plenty of mistakes of their own. They missed two field goals, turned the ball over twice (including the aforementioned interception) and were flagged seven times. The Utes switched quarterbacks late in the game in an attempt to provide a spark to their anemic offense, but to no avail; after being picked first in the Big 12 preseason media poll and beginning the season ranked, Utah is now on a four-game losing skid.

Houston 24, #17 Kansas State 19: The game was played in an intermittent rain (kickoff was delayed for an hour due to lightning), and there were as many KSU fans in the TDECU Stadium stands as Houston fans. In spite of that, the Cougars kept pace with the heavily-favored Wildcats. Zeon Chriss was 11 of 11 for 103 yards and a touchdown (he rushed for a score as well) while the UH defense kept KSU's vaunted rushing attack under 100 yards and forced two turnovers.

Trailing 10-19 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cougars scored twice to take the lead. They were then able to deflect KSU's hail-mary pass into the endzone as time expired to secure the most unanticipated and enjoyable win of the season. 

What It Means: After beginning the season with a 1-4 record, the Cougars have won three of their last four, including an upset of the #17-ranked team in the nation. This team is clearly making progress, albeit in fits and starts. They still need two wins to become bowl eligible, which is still a tall order at this point. But the fact that a bowl is even a possibility speaks to the team's progress under new head coach Willie Fritz.

The Cougars have another week off before traveling to Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats.