Author's archive
All the News that Fits 0
Will Bunch is less than optimistic over our tolerance–indeed, on the part of many, eager acceptance–of lies presented as truth.
No excerpt or summary will do his article justice. Just read it.
Plus ca Change, Vaccine Nation Dept. 0
A caller recounts her own personal experience with anti-vaccine sentiment long before COVID.
What’s in a Word? 0
Tony Norman wants to know.
A Question of Identity 0
The SPLC peers behind the mask.
Cancel Culture, Republican Style 0
Laura Packard points out the Republicans have created their own little isolation chamber. An excerpt:
Follow the link for the rest.
The Deleteriousness of the Disinformation Superhighway 0
Psychologist Michelle Druin is less that optimistic about the effects of the internet on dis coarse discourse (and, by “the internet,” I think, based on the examples she cites, that she refers primarily to “social” media). She cites five negative effects that she has observed; follow the link for a detailed discussion of each.
- It’s pushing us towards inauthenticity . . . .
- It may be increasing our paranoia . . . .
- It’s making us care too much about what other people think . . . .
- It’s pressuring us to create stage-worthy moments . . . .
- It’s making us want the impossible
All that Was Old Is New Again, Salem Redux 0
I think David misses the point. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
I disagree with David that the tax exemption of churches is the issue here. The issue is the simmering brew of manipulative, gullible, and stupid masquerading as faith, of self-styled shepherds whose only purpose is to sheer their flocks.
For a reasonably unbiased discussion of why churches are tax exempt in the U. S., see this article from the archives of the Los Angeles Times.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Practice politeness with your friends.
Aside:
Methinks a case can be made that, if one is incapable of safely unloading a weapon, one should probably not be permitted to load it in the first place.
A Tune for the Times 0
At the Youtube page, Mangy comments:
It seems many modern Republicans, like Ted Cruz, believe in an extremely narrow definition of freedom. Freedom, to them, is no longer based on a philosophy or set of beliefs, but it is whatever Trump tells them it is, or whatever helps them get reelected. With new laws limiting who can vote and what teachers may say in school, Republican snowflakes are working to carve out their own little ‘safe space’ where they can operate, free of the constraints of having to engage with any fellow citizens who are ‘different’.
Vaccine Nation, Collateral Damage Dept. 0
At the San Francisco Chronicle, Dr. Richard Bold, physician-in-chief at UC-Davis, explains how cancer surgeries are being delayed, sometimes with dire results for the cancer patients, because of patients’ being exposed to COVID-19. He points his finger directly at the culprits:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
The Single-Issue Party 0
Thom argues that the Republican Party now stands for one thing only.
