April, 2017 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness you can bank on . . . . .
Investigators said Daniel tripped and his gun went off.
This whole persons’ perpetually packing heat thing is working out so very nicely, is it not?
The Price of Civilization 0
In the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Eliot Seide reflects on preparing his tax returns. A snippet:
My tax day anxiety was swept away by thoughts of things I’m truly grateful for.
I started my day with a warm shower. That reminded me how thankful I am for clean water and indoor plumbing. For much of the world, that’s a luxury. But not here, where we pay taxes.
I enjoy driving on smooth highways. The lines and lights keep me and other drivers safe. I sometimes like to leave the car in the garage and ride the train to a ballgame. I love the sense of community that comes with riding public transit.
Public services and the common good aren’t free, my friends, though some would like to con you into thinking that they are.
A Poisonous Environment 0
Warning: Language; short promo at the end.
Ryan’s Derp 0
It’s Last Week several nights ago, but John Oliver’s take on it is priceless (Warning: Language).
War and Mongers of War 0
Josh Marshall considers the news from Asia (emphasis added):
He goes on to consider the logic of a “preemptive” strike against North Korea and concludes that, in this case at least, there is no such thing.
It resolves to a simple point: the logic of a “preemptive strike” is that you can solve or mostly solve the problem at issue by striking hard and first. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. So a “preemptive strike” really just means starting a war, which we couldn’t necessarily control in scope or duration once we started it.
Follow the link for the full article.
“So Much Winning” 0
Shaun Mullen counts the days to one hundred. Here’s how he starts out:
No, it is this: For Trump, the presidency is all about him.
Image via Job’s Anger.
The Peace Train 0
Francis J. Gavin, writing in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, considers Americans self-image as a peace-loving people and finds it somewhere between wishful-thinking and delusion.
I don’t agree with everything he says, but I think the article is worth the few minutes it will take you to read it. Here’s a bit:
It is easy to understand why Americans embrace these views. If the U.S. and its citizens and values are associated with peace and stability, then actions that might typically be understood through the narrow lens of self-interest can instead be translated into selfless policies that benefit mankind.
(snip)
Or so the story goes. But an honest portrayal of our own history, and that of world politics over the past few centuries, casts doubt on all three assumptions.
The Snaring Economy 0
The Guardian considers the ongoing (mis)management melodrama at Uber following the recent departure of the flack PR specialist who was supposed to fix it. A snippet (emphasis added):
But Whetstone’s job was arguably the most challenging of them all: public relations and policy for one of the most scandal-hit companies in America.
“I think basically you have a Donald Trump-like situation at Uber,” said crisis management specialist Jonathan Bernstein. “It doesn’t matter what his communicators say, ultimately it’s about what Travis Kalanick says. It’s like the problem Sean Spicer has – no matter how much he tries to spin, his boss is going to say something on Twitter he doesn’t know about and he ends up looking like an idiot.”
Fund Raiser 0
What the heck!?
I have donate button over there, on the sidebar. You can be the first to click on it!
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Garden Tour 0
We went to the Gardens yesterday. The azaleas and tulips, in particular, were in fierce bloom. The roses were just starting to bud.
