October, 2019 archive
“Bad Boys” 0
Ronald E Riggio, at Psychology Today Blogs, offers some thoughts on why people are willing to follow bad leaders. Here’s one (emphasis in the orginal); follow the link for the othrs:
(As an aside, I see this one almost daily in letters to the editor of my local rag. For example.)
A Notion of Immigrants 0
The first racist U. S. immigration law was The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
At the San Francisco Chronicle, the granddaughter of a Chinese man who came to the U. S. to study architecture in 1919 shares his story; she suggests that it provides context for much of what’s happening today.
Here’s a bit:
The roots of that authority lie in the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the first immigration law to outlaw an entire ethnic group. It was made permanent 10 years later by the Geary Act, which made illegal immigration a federal crime punishable by a year in prison, with hard labor. All Chinese residents, even those born here, had to carry a residence permit, or face deportation. Chinese were not allowed to bear witness in court, and only a “credible white witness” could testify on their behalf. After that, the 1921 Quota Act numerically limited immigration for the first time.
The entire piece is worth the three minutes of your time it will take to read it.
The Otherization 0
Steven M. argues cogently that Republicans have decided that over half of Americans are unAmerican. A snippet:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Virginia Beach Drinking Liberally Thursday 0
Join us to discuss the Carnival of Carnality that calls itself–well, I’ll just tell you what the old man used to say about my state Senator when I was little: “He calls himself a lawyer.”
When: Thursday, October 10, 6 p. m.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
Read the chapter blog and sign up to have your inbox flooded with one or two emails a month here.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to your neighbors.
Phoenix police sergeant Vince Lewis told KTAR that the man “had banged on the (neighbors’) door, yelling at them, trying to make contact during this argument.” He then headed back downstairs and allegedly retrieved a handgun from his apartment.
Police say that he then pointed the gun upwards towards his ceiling and discharged several shots, the last of which somehow wound up striking him in the face. No other people were injured in the incident.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid,
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you, brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Zero-Sum? 0
Sam uses a clip of Anand Giridharadas on The Daily Show to offer a technique for separating progressives from pseudo-progressives.
