Write to sort out...

It's been a few weeks (almost months) since the last time I posted in this blog. My knee surgery went well and my recovery is being faster than what anybody could imagine (including my PT, although I suspect that his words of praising are part of an strategy to make sure that I keep working on my knee...)

It took me so long to get back at my computer because (as I was warned and I didn't believe it...) after the operation my energy level dropped considerably. For the post-op, I was planning to read a countless number of books and magazines but I must admit that during the first weeks I could only sit in front of the TV consuming anything that it didn't require any intellectual activity from my side (including tons of soccer games)... watching the news could be an 'unbearable' source of stress.

Writing is a way to sort out; our lives do not happen in chapters so, writing in this modest blog allows me to put some order in my stories, thoughts and occurrences. In the last weeks, America has been toggling between centuries-old celebrations as the family reunions of Thankgiving or not so old-aged customs as the Black Friday/Cyber Monday and what unfortunately is becoming a habit: mass shootings (Colorado Springs or San Bernardino) and the following chain of responses from President Obama, the Republican candidates and, playing a prominent role, the ineffable Donald Trump.

Some interesting facts about the topics above mentioned:

Black Friday, another made in USA item exported to the rest
 of the World 

-Thanksgiving, together with the Christmas and 4th of July days, is one of the most important celebrations in the USA. It is a family event where often family members who live in different states, miles away from each other, reunite to eat, argue (yes, American families are not different from the Spanish ones in this department) and watch together football on TV (non-stop all day). I don't think many people know that, in the past, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday of November and it wasn't until 1939 when President Roosevelt decided to move it to the 4th Thursday of the month: some Novembers might have 5 Thursdays and in those years the Black Friday was too close to the Christmas sales which was a inconvenience for retailers... Sooo, traditions are OK as long as they don't damage the business... are we going to have a big argument here for one week before or later?

-Every time that President Obama (after a mass shooting) announces that there should be tougher laws to control the access to guns in the country... the sales of guns grow exponentially: some people believe that if Obama is ever able to get away with his warning, it might become more difficult to buy a gun, therefore they purchase them, just in case... isn't that crazy?

-Trump. I am convinced that once the current Presidential campaign finishes, there will be a proliferation of books trying to explain the Trump effect on american politics. United States is a very diverse country and very diverse have been the reactions to Trump's outbursts like banning all Muslims travel to the US. Oregon and particularly Portland have a well earned reputation for being made of open and liberal communities, so I can feel around me an almost unanimous rejection to such ideas, but it is also true that in other parts of the country, particularly those with Republican majorities, Trump is getting a lot of support. In any case, listening to a Republican debate is very insightful to understand to understand the traction is getting some of these ideas with some voters. Michel Moore capture it in a very inspired tweet:



And here you have a bonus link, enjoy it...Six Trump Supporters