BETWEEN TRUTH AND BELIEF

    It's 5:48 am the day after the election. CNN projects a Youngkin win in Virginia and a "virtual tie" in the New Jersey Governor's race. The Republicans are back. What about Steve Vegliante in the Town of Fallsburg you ask? With 61.3% CLGM congregant Steve Vegs prevailed. Phew! Steve will remain as our town Supervisor for the time being. As red as this county is, we remain an island of blue. The Gestapo may not be pounding at the door, but if you are paying attention they seem to be polishing those jackboots off in the wings. As the Supreme Court hears seminal gun and abortion rights cases and Toni Morrison is banned in Virginia schools all the warning bells are clanging. As Eric Voegelin would put it, "...even Aristotle had to remind certain pests of his time that an 'educated man" will not expect exactness of the mathematical type in a treatise on politics." Nothing is certain or exact.

     Over the years politics has joined the great obsessions of my life: art, religion, history and hunting. Each of these realms deal with the slippery beast - "truth."  In order to get at that truth one must navigate the stumbling blocks of "belief" or what many call "faith."  Intertwined in all this is science and common law (as opposed to that of nature). Science tells me the sun will rise at 7:34 am, when maybe a good buck will be on his feet. I'll be back...... 

10:47 am - I spent the morning in a stand behind the white house at a pinch point near the base of the mountain. I've hunted this stand a couple of times and only seen one turkey and no deer. This morning was clear, cold and quiet. At about 9 am I finally saw a deer. It was about 100 yards in front of me. I pulled up the binocs and saw that it was a decent buck. It was a pretty nice eight point, but did not compare to the ten and even larger buck I named "Fang" for his six inch brow tines. I watched as the buck circled and disappeared. Then at about 9:45 I heard a twig snap behind me. To my left a doe and fawn came running with that eight point right on their asses. Thinking maybe another buck would be following I grabbed the bow. Before I could stand up another eight pointer appeared on the run. He looked like the brother of the first one, solid, but not a shooter. This is the truth. Believe me or not.

    Not to disagree with Prof. Voegelin, but democratic politics is basic math. The person with the most votes wins. The Band of All Faith could learn a thing or two about democracy when it comes to voting. But that's another blog. These days belief has become as powerful a weapon as truth. Be it suburban "Karens" or mouth breathing, toothless, QAnon Trump supporters, so-called "belief" seems the only justification for vaccine hesitancy, crackpot conspiracy theories, or insistence that Trump won the 2020 election. Facts and truth take a backseat to faith in addressing obvious falsities. When presented with cold hard facts, Republicans say the opposite and add, "Well that's what I believe." There's a long tradition. Virgin birth and resurrection anyone?

P.S.

I JUST HEARD THAT THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS HAVEN'T BEEN COUNTED IN FALLSBURG. DON'T POP THE BUBBLY YET. OY VEY!