I was planning/hoping for another “Frabjous Day” blog post today (see my posts for March 31 and June 9 for reference). But it is telling that the “another indictment” story is actually becoming tedious. Yesterday the indictment was for additional crimes associated with the Mar-A-Lago “documents” case; the expected indictments from the January 6 grand jury and the Fulton County Georgia investigation are coming soon. In a separate but related case, the state of Michigan has indicted several people who were part of the scheme there to defraud the government by subverting the election process.
But I decided to take another approach today. See, my husband likes Jimmy Buffett. A lot. What I never realized (being only a casual Buffett fan) is that Jimmy writes a lot of songs related to current events. The picture above, showing Albert Einstein gazing pensively at an expanse of waves on a beach, stimulated Jimmy to write “Einstein Was a Surfer,” released in 2013. Here’s how the song goes:
[Verse 1]
There's a photo of a genius standing by the ocean
In a pea coat and cool hat, in 1943
On a beach in Santa Barbara, he's looking quite contented
His world is only matter and energy
[Verse 2]
Past the Channel Islands, out into the cosmos
There are worlds in motion that only he can see
He's smiling as he's thinking, the harbor lights are blinking
He's the smartest cookie ever was, ever will be
[Chorus 1]
Einstein was a surfer
There really is no doubt
'Cause the universe was his home break
And we're still all paddlin' out
[Verse 3]
On an iceberg off Newfoundland, a lyric sits half-frozen
Waiting for a comet to crash into the sea
It's drifting towards the tropics and melting into topics
Fills the sea with answers that have always worked for me
[Verse 4]
Bass notes from the chasm at speeds that we can't fathom
Music is the language of the near and distant stars
Black holes humming b-flat, heard only by street cats
Astronauts in orbit and singers in the bars
[Chorus 2]
Einstein was a sailor
With a universal song
His sails were tight, his course was right
So let's just all cruise along
[Bridge]
Order to disorder
It's the way we all fly
Light speed is all you need
To pass the future by
[Verse 5]
There's a YouTube of a genius gliding over liquid
Sultan of the shortboard in 2010
He looks like Valentino, moving like neutrinos
To the oceans in the heavens where no wave rider's been
[Chorus 3]
Einstein was a surfer
Who found the perfect break
Where the strings of time meet the final chime
It's the path all surfers take
Roughly, this means that Einstein was so far ahead of ordinary people that he was already riding the wave while the rest of us are still paddling out to the break line. Jimmy said it better.
So, my proposition for today is that the investigation into TFG so far has proven that Jack Smith (the special prosecutor in charge of this case) is already riding the wave while the rest of us are gamely (but unsuccessfully) trying to catch up to him. The superseding indictments made public yesterday are proof of this. We were eagerly awaiting the indictments to drop in Washington, DC, about the specific effort to stop the Senate from counting the electoral votes on January 6, 2021. Those indictments are coming, there is literally no doubt about that. But almost as an appetizer, Jack released new indictments in the Florida case. Just as no one was aware of the Florida grand jury before they started making news in March and April of this year, no one was aware that these indictments were coming yesterday, although many observers thought that something like this was coming.
We should not be surprised that Jack Smith is handling this investigation so skillfully and competently. He was the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court at the Hague, where he specifically oversaw investigations into war crimes. I heard a presentation in early March from an expert in the enforcement of international law, who commented that Jack Smith’s experience with clever and experienced international criminals meant that he was accustomed to defendants who used all of the levers of national power and personal influence to resist criminal charges. He knew how these people operated and he also knew how to use their cleverness against them.
Jack Smith is riding the wave while the analysts are still paddling out. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to find my surfboard.
“If we weren’t all crazy we would go insane.” - Jimmy Buffett
This is one of your best yet! I love the Jimmy Buffet connection. Did he write anything about jail time for the rich and powerful? 😂 Enjoy your weekend!