Author's archive
QOTD 0
Francis John McConnell:
We need a type of patriotism that recognizes the virtues of those who are opposed to us.
Geeking out 0
Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager on a Zareason Mediabox. The wallpaper is from my collection.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
The Trump Administration is trying to close the golden door.
The Reframing 0
I’m sure you’ve gotten them: fund-raising appeals from candidates or political parties masquerading as surveys and characterized by slanted questions, such as
- Do you believe in truth, justice, and the American way, or are you going to vote for the party that worships Satan and sacrifices tween virgins on the altar of Moloch?
At The Roanoke Times, Dan Casey tells of one such survey he recently received, then attempts to recast the questions so that they reflect reality.
I commend his piece to your attention.
Sacrificial Lambs 0
Solomon Jones wonders, in view of the Dullsa in Tulsa, what lengths Donald Trump will go to in order to get what he wants. (Hint: The answer is “any.”)
A nugget:
In my view, that’s a frightening reflection of Trump’s actual persona. If he could risk the very lives of his most loyal followers by using them as extras in his attempt to mount a political comeback, what would he do to the rest of us for his own personal gain?
(Misplet wrod correxted.)
QOTD 0
Kerry Greenwood:
A moment’s acquaintance was enough to convince her that Mrs. Freeman would not know anything that she did not want to know.
Greenwood, Kerry, The Green Mill Murder (Scottsdale, AZ: Poisoned Pen Press, 2007), p. 31.
Stories of the Fall 0
Der Spiegel interviews two economists, Angus Deaton and Anne Case, in an attempt to figure out what the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed about health care in the United States.
They are not optimistic.
Here’s a bit:
DER SPIEGEL: Is it possible to identify the point when things started to go wrong in the U.S.?
Deaton: One great question to ask is: Why doesn’t America have a strong federal welfare state with health care like other European countries do? One answer is the issue of race. In the middle of the 20th century, it was the southern senators of the Democratic party who blocked any consideration of publicly funded health care. People don’t like to pay for services that go to people that don’t look like them, especially when they are black.
It’s a tough read, but a worthwhile one.