Author's archive
This New Gilded Age 0
At the Tampa Bay Times, John Hill writes that he is somewhat less than enamored by efforts in the Florida legislature to gut restrictions on the use of child labor.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Chum for honeypots? Gotcha, sucker.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another oxymoronic “responsible gun owner” practices self-politeness with his portable phallus.
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.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
- J. Pat O’Malley, in the voice of Pithias: Up until yesterday, he resided at a place of felonious intent. A state prison, I believe they call it.
The closed caption: Up until yesterday, he resided at a place of Thelonious and Tent.
The most artificial thing about artificial intelligence is the hype that it’s in some way intelligent. It’s an algorithm, and that’s all it is. And Thelonious and Tent are just two streets that intersect somewhere in the algorithm’s hallucination.
A Tune for the Times 0
Stephen offers a paean to billionaires.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Michael in Norfolk hears several most unpleasant rhymes. Here’s the first line from one of them; follow the link for more.
You can find the second line of this couplet over at Boston.com.
_____________________
*Mark Twain.
Real Big Men 0
Emma and the crew discuss the factors that may be feeding toxic masculinity and misogyny that is a trait common to many far-right groups.
Extra-Special Bonus QOTD 0
Retired Federal Judge J. Michael Luttig:
The President of the United States of America is at war with the Constitution and the rule of law.
DOGE Bull 0
As one who has lived through hurricanes (after Donna, we were without power for eight days and my father had to sink a well so that we had water), I do not think that gutting the NOAA is a good idea.
Afterthought:
I do not think it is beyond the realm of plausibility to suggest that one of our major political parties no longer believes in promoting the general welfare.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
It occurs to me that this whole anti-DEI movement is all about making sure those folks (you know who they are) know their place and stay in it.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Mild language.
The Golden Trumpled Door, Reprise
0
At The Sacramento Bee, Erwin Chemerinsky calls out Donald Trump and the Republican thought police. Here’s how his article starts (emphasis added); follow the link for the rest.
In fact, Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted on social media that its goal was to stop illegal ideas from coming into the country (this post was later taken down). But under the First Amendment, there is no such thing as an illegal idea.
All the News that Fits 0
Dan Perry argues that confusion is the game plan. A snippet; follow the link for his reasoning.
This is why Trump won’t shut up about “the fake news” and declares the media the “enemy of the people,” a phrase borrowed from Stalinist Russia. That’s why his stooges actually speak of “alternative facts.” That’s why characters like Elon Musk will try to present the news media as “elites” pursuing some dark agenda to silence the valiant voices of the ordinary citizen (on social media, of course).
The Golden Trumpled Door
0
Via Job’s Anger.
Afterthought:
The American dream, however imperfect it may have been in its reality, is being throttled before our eyes.
The Woman without a Country? 0
The Trump maladministration orders a native-born U. S. citizen to deport herself.
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts has more on Republicans’ mean for the sake of mean.
Video via C&L, which has commentary.
The Enemy Within 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier note that
Follow the link to see why he wrote that.