From Pine View Farm

“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Over at Juanita Jean’s, Fenway Fran hears a rhyme. A snippet:

Remember, remember, the fifth of November . . . .

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Know Them by the Company They Keep 0

The wedding guest.

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Post Mortem (Updated) 0

PoliticalProf shares some thoughts.

Addendum:

Regardless of the election of Obama, methinks he did not give America’s original sin of chattel slavery and the doctrine of racism created to rationalize it anywhere near the weight they deserve.

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The Rule of Flaw 0

I go to sleep worrying about the American dream.

I wake up to the American scream.

I am not sanguine.

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“An Armed Society Is Polite Society” 0

Once again, politeness become child’s play.

Too many guns. Too much stupid.

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Still Rising after All These Years 0

If at first you can’t secede, try, try again.

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QOTD 0

Rob Estes, in the voice of Sgt. Chris Lorenzo:

Free advice is worth what you pay for it.

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No, I Am Not Watching the Election Coverage 0

I am stressed out enough already from worrying that we are on the verge of the end of the American dream.

I’ll read about it tomorrow.

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And Now for a Change of Pace 0

Some pictures from my brother in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

Eagle in flight

Click for a larger image.

Finish reading this post »

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“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Robert Cauthorn, writing at the Las Vegas Sun, hears a number of rhymes between today and the era of McCarthyism and the “Red Scare.” Here’s just one of them; follow the link for the rest.

The phrase “the enemy within” is among the darkest phrases any politician can utter because it presages the arrival of purges, pogroms and persecution. The public must take it seriously. Those words are spoken in sincerity, they are a means of justifying tearing American culture apart while rewarding friends and eliminating critics.

Just like today, in the 1950s the forces of authoritarianism talked about the people who opposed them as degenerates and sexual deviants. And it should not go unnoticed that McCarthy’s right hand was lawyer Roy Cohn, who later became Donald Trump’s prized mentor.

Methinks you will find his article somewhat disquieting.

__________________

*Mark Twain.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Politeness is the (end of the) cat’s meow.

We are a broken society.

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The Law and Order Party 0

Yeah.

Right.

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The Haunting 0

At Above the Law, Joe Patrice warns us to fear the Ghost of Chevron Deference, summoned from the past by the Supreme Supremacist Court.

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Navigating the Disinformation Superhighway 0

WHYY, an excellent radio station which I listened to when l lived in the Philly area, offers some excellent pointers for avoiding misdirection ploys on the Disinformation Superhighway.

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Vote 0

If you haven’t voted, do.

It’s not a right.

It’s a duty.

Especially this time.

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QOTD 0

Walter Cronkite:

We all have our likes and our dislikes. But… when we’re doing news – when we’re doing the front-page news, not the back page, not the op-ed pages, but when we’re doing the daily news, covering politics – it is our duty to be sure that we do not permit our prejudices to show. That is simply basic journalism.

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The Night Before 0

Joe:  Remember when we were kids and how excited we'd get on Christmas Eve?  Bob:  Sure.  Joe:  The anticipation was so great we couldn't sleep.  Bob:  Mm-hmmm.  (Joe grins at Bob.)  Bob:  Election day eve is never gonna be a thing, Joe.  Joe:  How about if we just call it a concept of a plan . . . .

Click to view the original image.

Especially this year.

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Ballot Questing 0

At Psychology Today Blogs, Sunita Sah offers some suggestions for making sure you are casting your vote intelligently.* Here’s one that’s particularly relevant in these days of the Disinformation Superhighway:

Today’s landscape of unverified news sources and social media makes it difficult to separate fact from fiction, muddying our values-based decision-making. When information is distorted, it’s challenging to know whether candidates’ stances align with our values or are just a polished performance. Looking at who funds and influences a candidate can help clarify what policies they’re likely to support, rather than what they claim to stand for in speeches.

Follow the link for her other suggestions.

________________

Her terminology is “act(ing) from personal values, not external pressures.”

I like mine better.

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Pass or Fail 0

Title:  Uncle Sam's Cognitive Test.  Image:  Uncle Sam faces a ballot to choose between Trump and Harris.

And, speaking of cognitive tests . . . .

Image via Balloon Juice.

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Irrationalizations 0

David takes a look at how Trump supporters lie to themselves about who and what Trump is. (Warning: Short commercial at the end, which you are certainly free to ignore.)

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