Analogies can be effective teaching tools, for the smart and the stupid. Sometimes complex ideas can be introduced by an apt analogy, followed up by more sophisticated analysis. Sometimes ideas are simple.
The European leaders at yesterday’s meeting about Ukraine concluded that perhaps Trump didn’t really understand what it meant for Russia, who invaded Ukraine, to be awarded territory in a peace deal, including territory Russia did not fight for and does not yet control.
So they tried an analogy. What if the eastern part of Florida was just given away? Would that be right?
Reports are that maybe that had some impact on Trump.
Maybe. If there was ever an accurate assessment of Trump’s intelligence and knowledge, that seems no longer possible. The only evidence we have of Trump’s thinking is what he says and does. The European leaders are, as are so many others, unsure of his intelligence and knowledge. So they dumbed down a basic concept of fairness, confident he wouldn’t notice he was being condescended to.
The European leaders, like so many others, find themselves in uncharted territory, and will try anything to get inside Trump’s head. We wish them and ourselves good luck.
Life and language began In the sea Teeming with single cells and letters Go fish and catch Dock your boat On the desert shore Wander where the word Withers in the wilderness There it began and may end In pristine dry overheated Silence
In recent months, frequent episodes of disorganized and incoherent public speech have been reported. Some claim that it is just an idiosyncratic personal style, while others attribute it to the possibility of more serious issues. Looking back to the disorders mentioned above, it is worth considering what this disorganized and incoherent speech might indicate.
Disorganized speech is associated with the condition of schizophrenia. But such speech patterns may be indicative of something else.
Disorganized speech can occur in several other psychiatric and medical conditions beyond schizophrenia that may be worth considering.
Other Psychotic Disorders:
Brief psychotic disorder
Schizophreniform disorder
Schizoaffective disorder
Delusional disorder (less commonly)
Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder
Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition
Mood Disorders:
Bipolar disorder during manic or mixed episodes (flight of ideas, pressured speech)
Major depressive disorder with psychotic features
Severe depression (psychomotor retardation can affect speech organization)
Severe anxiety disorders (circumstantial or tangential speech)
Personality disorders with psychotic features
The relationship between disorganized speech and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) or antagonism is more complex and indirect.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: The DSM-5 doesn’t typically associate NPD with truly disorganized speech in the clinical sense. However, people with NPD may exhibit speech patterns that can appear disorganized or problematic:
Circumstantial speech – taking lengthy, roundabout paths to make points, often to showcase knowledge or importance
Tangential speech – going off on tangents, particularly when the topic shifts away from themselves
Grandiose or inflated language – using exaggerated or pompous speech that may seem disconnected from reality
Rapid topic changes when feeling criticized or when seeking to regain attention
Incoherent explanations when confronted with evidence that contradicts their self-image
Antagonism (as a personality trait): Antagonism itself doesn’t directly cause disorganized speech, but highly antagonistic individuals might display:
Aggressive or hostile speech patterns that derail conversations
Manipulative communication that can seem illogical to others
Defensive rambling when challenged
Important Distinctions:
These speech patterns in NPD are typically motivated and goal-directed (even if maladaptive), unlike the genuinely disorganized speech in psychotic disorders
The person usually maintains logical connections in their thinking, even if their conclusions are distorted by narcissistic beliefs
Speech organization typically improves when the person feels secure or admired
When It Might Overlap: True disorganized speech might occur in someone with NPD if they also have:
Comorbid psychotic features
Severe personality decompensation under extreme stress
Substance use
Underlying neurocognitive issues
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is not typically associated with disorganized speech in the clinical sense described in the DSM-5. However, there are some nuanced considerations:
Typical Speech Patterns in ASPD: People with ASPD generally maintain organized, coherent speech and often exhibit:
Superficial charm and articulate communication when it serves their purposes
Manipulative rhetoric that is actually quite organized and goal-directed
Smooth talking or “con artist” speech patterns
Logical presentation of lies or deceptions
When Speech Might Appear Disorganized:
Under interrogation or confrontation – may become evasive, contradictory, or rambling when caught in lies
During aggressive outbursts – speech may become rapid, hostile, and less organized
When intoxicated – substance use can affect speech organization
Fabricating complex lies – may create inconsistent or convoluted narratives
Comorbid Conditions: True disorganized speech in someone with ASPD would more likely result from:
Comorbid substance use disorders (very common in ASPD)
Traumatic brain injury (higher rates in antisocial populations)
Comorbid psychotic disorders
Severe personality decompensation under extreme stress
Key Distinction: The manipulative, deceptive, or aggressive speech patterns in ASPD are typically purposeful and organized at a cognitive level, even if they appear chaotic or contradictory to observers. The person usually maintains logical thinking processes, unlike the genuine thought disorganization seen in psychotic conditions.
Today, August 6, is the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the U.S near the end of World War II. It is only one of the two times in history that a nuclear weapon has been used in war. The second time came three days later, when the U.S. bombed Nagasaki.
Japan was already losing the war. It surrendered about a month later. For eighty years the matter of whether dropping the first bomb, and then the second, was necessary to end the war. Some say that Japan would never have given up without it, and many American and Allied troops were saved. Others say that the destruction of the cities and the death of 160,000 civilians—and the health effects for many more—was unnecessary.
This anniversary did not make the front page or top story in news media, even in Japan. There are reports that the peaceful non-military attitude of Japan is receding. The bombed cities are rebuilt, the horror is distant, and giving peace a chance seems a luxury in this time and this world. As Kurt Vonnegut said in writing about his experience of the Allied bombing of another beautiful city, Dresden, in World War II: So it goes.
These times are not the first or last when we live through the calculus of horror. How much should we inflict? How much should we endorse? How much should we bear? Who is the enemy? Who and what should we follow? Who and what should we refuse?
Today is the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which is not on the front page or a top story. Maybe the calculus of horror should be.
1. Citizens believe in life going on, especially when the authoritarian actions don’t affect them directly.
2. Citizens believe that diversions and distractions are harmless. Rome used a “bread and circuses” strategy to distract from political issues, and the strategy has never gone out of style.
3. Citizens believe that the normal cyclical ups and downs will moderate things, or at least someone or something will come along to restore balance and normality.
4. Citizens believe that even the worst things happen slowly, so there will be time to make corrections.
According to history, all of those beliefs are lies. Life stops going on when the authorities come for you or those you care about. Distractions are harmful if they divert attention and action from current misfeasance. Ups and downs don’t always balance out extremes, and someone or something may not be coming along to restore balance and normality. What seems a slow roll can accelerate, becoming a disaster before there is time left to effectively react.
What seems a slow roll into authoritarianism can accelerate, becoming a disaster before there is time left to effectively react. That’s what history teaches.
In the wake of World War II, Britain was still recovering and struggling in the 1950s. That is the background for the expression “I’m all right, Jack.” It is the title and theme of a 1959 British comedy movie.
It is said that among Royal Navy sailors, after a ladder was slung over the side of a ship, the last sailor to climb on board would say, “I’m all right Jack; pull up the ladder.” Translated to British postwar life—and for later eras in other places—it means that once you have made it, those that come after should take care of themselves.
Maybe it is British and old school, but the expression still resonates, however you want to say it today. Whatever we have, resources or opportunities, little or lots, others don’t. Selfishness is on public display and, quietly or loudly, celebrated.
It’s unnatural for Democrats to stop thinking about elections because that is their nature and reason for being.
Except for a couple of things.
The next congressional election is about 18 months away, and the next Congress will be seated in about 20 months. A lot is going to happen in that time.
Even in the unlikely event that Democrats win control of both the House and Senate in 2026, controlling committees and able to pass legislation, the legislation will be vetoed beyond override by the president and many executive actions will be endorsed by a sympathetic Supreme Court.
We can say that Democrats should be able to walk and chew gum, that is, focus on the elections and focus on effective immediate strategies. But confidence in the Democrats to pull that off is low.
Maybe the only way for Democrats to strategize effectively right now is to stop thinking and talking about elections for a bit. Once they have figured that challenge out and successfully executed some of those strategies, they can and should concentrate on the next series of elections—hopefully winning more of them with a new generation of winning candidates.
‘Later in the footage, the officers move on to general celebration – “Goddamn! Woo! Nice!” – and talk of the potential bonus they’ll be getting: “Just remember, you can smell that $30,000 bonus.”’
It is not easy these days to maintain equanimity, as one story after another reveals that decent, lawful and constitutional America has given way to making many people suffer.
I am posting this story in its entirety. You can find it at the Guardian link below, along with the video.
On the morning of 2 May, teenager Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio was driving to his landscaping job in North Palm Beach with his mother and two male friends when they were pulled over by the Florida highway patrol.
In one swift moment, a traffic stop turned into a violent arrest.
A highway patrol officer asked everyone in the van to identify themselves, then called for backup. Officers with US border patrol arrived on the scene.
Video footage of the incident captured by Laynez-Ambrosio, an 18-year-old US citizen, appears to show a group of officers in tactical gear working together to violently detain the three men, two of whom are undocumented. They appear to use a stun gun on one man, put another in a chokehold and can be heard telling Laynez-Ambrosio: “You’ve got no rights here. You’re a migo, brother.” Afterward, agents can be heard bragging and making light of the arrests, calling the stun gun use “funny” and quipping: “You can smell that … $30,000 bonus.”
The footage has put fresh scrutiny on the harsh tactics used by US law enforcement officials as the Trump administration sets ambitious enforcement targets to detain thousands of immigrants every day.
“The federal government has imposed quotas for the arrest of immigrants,” said Jack Scarola, an attorney who is advocating on behalf of Laynez-Ambrosio and working with the non-profit Guatemalan-Maya Center, which provided the footage to the Guardian. “Any time law enforcement is compelled to work towards a quota, it poses a significant risk to other rights.”
Chokeholds, stun guns and laughter
The incident unfolded at roughly 9am, when a highway patrol officer pulled over the company work van, driven by Laynez-Ambrosio’s mother, and discovered that she had a suspended license. Laynez-Ambrosio said he is unsure why the van was pulled over, as his mother was driving below the speed limit.
Laynez-Ambrosio hadn’t intended to film the interaction – he already had his phone out to show his mom “a silly TikTok”, he said – but immediately clicked record when it became clear what was happening.
The video begins after the van has been pulled over and the border patrol had arrived. A female officer can be heard asking, in Spanish, whether anyone is in the country illegally. One of Laynez-Ambrosio’s friends answers that he is undocumented. “That’s when they said, ‘OK, let’s go,’” Laynez-Ambrosio recalled.
Laynez-Ambrosio said things turned aggressive before the group even had a chance to exit the van. One of the officers “put his hand inside the window”, he said, “popped the door open, grabbed my friend by the neck and had him in a chokehold”.
Footage appears to show officers then reaching for Laynez-Ambrosio and his other friend as Laynez-Ambrosio can be heard protesting: “You can’t grab me like that.” Multiple officers can be seen pulling the other man from the van and telling him to “put your fucking head down”. The footage captures the sound of a stun gun as Laynez-Ambrosio’s friend cries out in pain and drops to the ground.
Laynez-Ambrosio said that his friend was not resisting, and that he didn’t speak English and didn’t understand the officer’s commands. “My friend didn’t do anything before they grabbed him,” he said.
In the video, Laynez-Ambrosio can be heard repeatedly telling his friend, in Spanish, to not resist. “I wasn’t really worried about myself because I knew I was going to get out of the situation,” he said. “But I was worried about him. I could speak up for him but not fight back, because I would’ve made the situation worse.”
Laynez-Ambrosio can also be heard telling officers: “I was born and raised right here.” Still, he was pushed to the ground and says that an officer aimed a stun gun at him. He was subsequently arrested and held in a cell at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station for six hours.
Audio in the video catches the unidentified officers debriefing and appearing to make light of the stun gun use. “You’re funny, bro,” one officer can be overheard saying to another, followed by laughter.
Another officer says, “They’re starting to resist more now,” to which an officer replies: “We’re going to end up shooting some of them.”
Later in the footage, the officers move on to general celebration – “Goddamn! Woo! Nice!” – and talk of the potential bonus they’ll be getting: “Just remember, you can smell that [inaudible] $30,000 bonus.” It is unclear what bonus they are referring to. Donald Trump’s recent spending bill includes billions of additional dollars for Ice that could be spent on recruitment and retention tactics such as bonuses.
Laynez-Ambrosio said his two friends were eventually transferred to the Krome detention center in Miami. He believes they were released on bail and are awaiting a court hearing, but said it has been difficult to stay in touch with them.
Laynez-Ambrosio’s notice to appear in court confirms that the border patrol arrived on the scene, having been called in by the highway patrol. His other legal representative, Victoria Mesa-Estrada, also confirmed that border patrol officers transported the three men to the border patrol facility.
The Florida highway patrol, CBP, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
Laynez-Ambrosio was charged with obstruction without violence and sentenced to 10 hours of community service and a four-hour anger management course. While in detention, he said, police threatened him with charges if he did not delete the video footage from his phone, but he refused.
Scarola, his lawyer, said the charges were retaliation for filming the incident. “Kenny was charged with filming [and was] alleged to have interfered with the activities of law enforcement,” he explained. “But there was no intended interference – merely the exercise of a right to record what was happening.”
In February, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed an agreement between the state and the Department of Homeland Security allowing Florida highway patrol troopers to be trained and approved by Ice to arrest and detain immigrants. While such agreements have been inked across the US, Florida has the largest concentration of these deals. Four officers apprehend two men. One officer holds a man on his knees in a chokehold, while he and two of the other officers push downward on a man crouching on the ground.
Father Frank O’Loughlin, founder and executive director of the Guatemalan-Maya Center, the advocates for Laynez-Ambrosio, says the incident has further eroded trust between Florida’s immigrant community and the police. “This is a story about the corruption of law enforcement by Maga and the brutality of state and federal troopers – formerly public servants – towards nonviolent people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Laynez-Ambrosio is trying to recover from the ordeal, and hopes the footage raises awareness of how immigrants are being treated in the US. “It didn’t need to go down like that. If they knew that my people were undocumented, they could’ve just kindly taken them out of the car and arrested them,” he said. “It hurt me bad to see my friends like that. Because they’re just good people, trying to earn an honest living.”
On the plate I saw my usual desert of four Oreos, two chocolate, two golden.
Binary, I thought. Dark and light. The digital universe is binary: zero and one. Morse code is binary: dot and dash.
The I Ching is binary: broken line (yin, dark) and solid line (yang, light). Six lines stacked, sixty-four combinations (hexagrams).
Instead of broken and solid lines, what if we stack six chocolate and golden Oreos? Oreo I Ching.
Which I did. The above picture represents Hexagram 27, Nourishing.
27 Yi • Nourishing
DECISION
Nourishing. Being steadfast and upright: good fortune. Watch your nourishment; Pay attention to what is in your mouth.
SIGNIFICANCE
This gua outlines the principle of nourishing. In ancient times, the Chinese concept of nourishing included nurturing, especially nurturing one’s virtue. To the ancient Chinese, nourishing without nurturing was the way of animals. The revered sage Mencius says,
Filling with food, Warming with clothes, Living leisurely without learning, It is little short of animals.
If you consult the I Ching, occasionally or regularly, consider using Oreos, or the cookies of your choice, to represent your hexagram. When you are done, you can enjoy a sweet treat along with the valuable advice.
Bob Schwartz 