November, 2017 archive
In a Pencesive Mood 0
Timothy Egan is not impressed by Vice President Pence’s conduct during his tenure in office.
(snip)
Pence’s response ( to the recent gun massacre in Texas–ed.) “We grieve with you and stand with resolve against evil,” he said. I’ll grant him the grieving part. But the resolve has translated into squat. His best solution to the scourge of mass killings, as he told heartbroken families in Texas, is more prayer.
Follow the link for more examples.
Name Change 0
It’s now “Taking Liberties Tax.”
Out of Pocket 0
Warning: Language
Flag Daze 0
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s Maureen Downey quotes a powerful letter by a college professor about the kneeling protests at football games.
I cannot excerpt or summarize her article and do it justice. Just read it.
“In the Biblical Way” 0
Dick Polman has more on the Republican Party’s perverse response to purported perversion. A nugget:
Why? Because they say the Bible says so.
Follow the link for Polman’s analysis of the Republican Party’s novel interpretation of the scriptures.
Reality Show Governance 0
Der Spiegel looks back on a year of Trumpery. A nugget:
Follow the link for the rest.
I’ve Been Polled 0
I received a call on my cellphone the other day.
Thankfully, it was not from the Health Care Enrollment Center, the phishing scam that calls me pretending that they have “received my inquiry” when I have made no inquiry. (I keep blocking their numbers and they keep calling with new, likely spoofed numbers.)
It was from a legit polling outfit calling about Tuesday’s election. I answered frankly about my political predilections.
One of the questions was, “What made you choose between Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie.”
I said, “One is a good and decent human being; the other is not.”
At which point the pollster lost it.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your friends.
The gunman said when he pulled the trigger, the weapon fired and shot his friend in the head.
Racing Downward 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin makes an argument that downward comparison is an element of Donald Trump’s appeal. Here’s one of his examples; visit the link for the complete essay.
Escape Clause 0
Elie Mystal reports. A snippet:
This week, we have as close as we’re going to get to contractual evidence that sexual harassment and assault is both contemplated and condoned when powerful men are involved.
No matter how many people are “outed” for their sexual misconduct (Louie CK, Mark Halperin, Donald Trump) there are people who resist the notion that this behavior is somehow authorized. There are people who refuse to accept that we have erected a system and society designed to allow men to victimize women they meet, and then protect those men from their accusers.Follow the link for Exhibit A.