From Pine View Farm

All Others Play Kash 0

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Stray Thought 0

Donald Trump is indeed annihilating a civilization.

Western civilization, that is.

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The Falsifying Prophet 0

Pete Hegseth stands behind a podium labeled

Click for the original image.

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

Spying on you? That’s just what Big Tech does.

Listen as Claude confesses to Bernie Sanders.

Via C&L.

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Dis Coarse Discourse 0

Pamela B. Rutledge, writing at the Psychology Today website, argues that dis coarse discourse and “social” media are teaching chilren that being rude and nasty pays. A snippet:

Right now, the lessons kids see are not good ones. Our political environment is teaching kids that conflict is about anger, insults, and domination, not disagreement, negotiation, and repair. Public figures and political elites across the spectrum model the exact communication patterns that predict relationship failure—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling (Gottman & Silver, 1999).

This is not about policy. This is about the fundamental ways people relate to one another, how they deal with differences of opinion, talk and listen to each other, and their willingness to problem-solve, compromise, and seek solutions. The conflict-resolution strategies children learn early are the ones they carry into friendships, workplaces, and romantic relationships.

I would quibble with her about her phrase, “across the spectrum.” To an extent, perhaps, but my observation is that one end of the spectrum is more given to hate-full speech than the other. Nevertheless, methinks she makes some excellent points.

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An Armed Society Is a Polite Society 0

There’s nothing quite like neighborly politeness.

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Bait and Snatch 0

At Above the Law, Mark Hermann thinks he sees a pattern in how Iran is responding to Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war that Donald Trump chose to start.

Methinks he may be onto something.

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QOTD 0

Ken Burns:

Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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Still Rising Again after All These Years 0

John Young argues that it’s obvious why Donald Trump broke precedent to attend the Supreme Court arguments over the Trump maladministration’s effforts to get rid of birthright citizenship as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. A snippet; follow the link for his reasoning.

It’s because hatred of “others,” in this case newcomers who lack a preferred color, is the life force of MAGA, which for now is the life force of the Republican Party.

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American Stasi 0

Via SFgate, I caught a long article by Los Angeles Times writer Sonja Sharp, in which she addresses the Department of Justice’s failure to comply with court orders regarding immigrants (and non-immigrants) caught in the Trump maladministration’s round-up of persons who, in their opinion, don’t look white enough.

One paragraph caught my eye. It emphasizes the indiscriminate, willful sadism masquerading as “law enforcement.”

Court filings show many California cases involve longtime U.S. residents unexpectedly hauled off to jail after routine check-ins with immigration officials. One was an Afghan who’d helped the American war effort. Another a Cambodian grandmother of eight who fled Pol Pot’s killing fields as a girl nearly 50 years ago.

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Obvious 0

Donald Trump and J. D. Vance as angels floating in Vatican City.  Trump says,

Click for the original image.

(Original post replaced because of an attack of fumble-fingers.)

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Suffer the Children 0

As we know, that’s a Republican family value. Along those lines, Farron discusses Donald Trump’s decision to retaliate against the Pope for having the unmitigated gall to (indirectly) criticize him by yanking money from a Catholic charity for children.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

And, as has so often been demonstrated, a polite society is a clean society.

Investigators determined the man and his brother were sitting at a table in a common kitchen area disassembling and reassembling firearms. During the process, the 25-year-old’s weapon discharged. The bullet struck his hand before hitting his wife in the upper torso.

Both victims were taken to a local hospital. The woman died at the hospital and her husband was treated for the wound to his hand.

One more time, in gun nut world, “clean” is a synonym for “play with,” and “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron.

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War and Mongers of War 0

Methinks Field pretty much nails it when he writes

Autocrats like Trump, of course, love wars. They don’t care about the cost of human lives or what it will cost in terms of actual dollars. It gives them a sense of power, and it stifles debate. They view it as another tool in their tool box to hold on to power.

Follow the link for the rest of his remarks.

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QOTD 0

Eric Hoffer:

The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.

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And Now for a Change of Pace 0

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False Idols 0

The editorial board of the Las Vegas Sun sees a disturbing trend.

In recent months, President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and imagery have taken on an increasingly religious and even overtly messianic tone, pointing to a man and an administration seeking deification to justify violence and oppression against perceived enemies both at home and abroad.

I commend the entire piece to hour attention.

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It’s All about the Algorithm . . . 0

. . . and the algorithm is not your friend.

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American Stasi 0

Emma talks with Austin Kocher about the death rates in ICE’s detention centers concentration camps.

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From Pine View Farm
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