It ain’t over ‘til…

My late grandfather introduced me to many things — the Desolation Wilderness, how to use a rock saw, how to build a log cabin, Louis L’Amour, P.G Wodehouse, escargot — but perhaps first and foremost there was Tom Lehrer. A chemical geologist, my grandfather offered me a substantial sum of money if I memorized Tom Lehrer’s ‘The Elements’, which to my regret I did not. Tom Lehrer is now 92 — with a formidable mathematical and musical legacy.

I thought of Tom Lehrer’s 2002 comment this week: “Things I once thought were funny are scary now. I often feel like a resident of Pompeii who has been asked for some humorous comments on lava.” As the pressure continues to build, here are some comments on ‘lava’:

Ignore the polls: Today, FiveThirtyEight’s election forecast has Biden winning 87 of 100 scenarios. Exactly four years ago today — October 18, 2016 — FiveThirtyEight gave Hillary Clinton an 88.1% chance of winning. Way back in June, I explained why you shouldn’t believe the polls — we’ve got an addiction to polls, and it gets in the way of our participation in actual politics.

Now before loyal reader Joel goes ahead and blames me for being a Biden Bedwetter, let me be clear: this isn’t 2016. Trump is President and bears responsibility for the incompetent handling of the pandemic. Back in August, I went out on a limb and said America is a failed state — and the latest report out of the CDC adds fuel to this argument: Dr. Deborah Birx — ostensibly in charge of the nation’s coronavirus response — was able to get data on every case…