August, 2014 archive
The Tolerance Con 0
Vagabond Scholar dissects the reasoning of those who demand that tolerance requires tolerating their intolerance. This reasoning has informed efforts to deny birth control, gay marriage, and, ultimately, equal rights in many areas.
A nugget.
The three minutes it will take you to follow the link and read the rest will be well worth your while.
It’s Always “Outside Agitators” 0
If you can get through it, listen to the mayor of Ferguson, Mo., claim that “there’s not a racial divide in Ferguson . . . .”
I’ve heard this before. It’s the same crap that Orville Faubus, Bull Connor, and the like spewed in the 1960s as they turned fire hoses on Civil Rights demonstrations.
in related news (much more at the link),
The research team, which studied clashes between police and activists during the Occupy movement three years ago, found that protests tend to turn violent when officers use aggressive tactics, such as approaching demonstrators in riot gear or lining up in military-like formations.
Recent events in Ferguson, Mo., are a good example, the study’s lead researcher said. For nearly two weeks, activists angered by a white police officer’s fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager have ratcheted up their protests when confronted by heavily armed police forces.
The only folks who will take exception to the study will be those who like the sound of cracked heads.
Those Who Forget Deny the Past . . . .
0
Historiann is not surprised at the reactions to events in Ferguson, Mo. She is disgusted.
A nugget (emphasis in the original):
Even if I understand why people insist on pretending history is irrelevant, why must they evoke history in such wildly inappropriate ways? For example: Howard Kurtz say that “Some liberal outlets [are] creating almost a lynch mob mentality around this,” that is, the insistence that the police officer who killed an unarmed man be arrested and charged with a crime. Is that what lynch mobs did–they published headlines in news outlets demanding the arrest and trial of men suspected of crimes? Because that’s what you imply when you compare an online magazine to a lynch mob. Judge Lynch, as we all should remember, was not at all about insisting on due process for suspected criminals. That was the whole point of a lynch mob friends–the circumvention of the criminal justice system! Yegads. So stupid.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The polite bring new meaning to “defensive driving.”
A report states the truck intentionally struck the Ranger on its side while traveling in the same direction.
Investigators say the truck driver then fired a round into the Ranger’s back drivers side bumper. The Ranger pulled over at the Sunoco gas station and the driver called authorities.
There’s an additional shot of politeness at the link.
“War Always Comes Home” 0
Thom explains that war is not something that just happens over there, however much the mongers of war would have you believe that that’s the case.
“The Talk” 0
James Causey remembers his parents’ advice about being while black. A snippet:
They also told me to avoid getting into verbal confrontations with officers, even if the officers were dead wrong, because they feared these situations could escalate to me being shot. Call these rules of survival.
Although I have undergraduate and MBA degrees, I have been harassed by police and stopped for no reason other than being black while driving.
Read it.
Facebook Frolics 0
(snip)
“I apologize from the bottom of my heart,” Tinsley said. “At one time, I was a very active Republican, very opposed to Obama.”
As far as I can tell, what he’s saying is that being a Republican means being racist.
Don’t think that’s what he meant to say, but in vino veritas and all that.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Back under 300K.
(snip)
The monthly average of claims, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, rose to 300,750 last week from 296,000.
The number of people on jobless benefit rolls declined by 49,000 to 2.5 million in the week ended Aug. 9. It’s at the lowest level since June 2007, before the last recession began.
In other news, Bloomberg’s “experts” were wrong again.
On the Ground in Ferguson, Mo. 0
The significant bit starts at about the three-minute mark.
Mugging for the Camera 0
Funny or Die recounts Rick Perry’s Tips on How To Use Your Mugshot.
Cushy Gigs and Gig-olos. 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear argues for eliminating tenure for New York Times columnists; he offers a report card on the lot of them. A nugget:
Brooks’ columns are almost always based on some kind of false dichotomy he uses to oversimplify complex issues. He is a tireless purveyor of Conservatism Lite, completely unaware of the fact that he is a self-parody. If you printed his columns in the Onion, people would think they were a satire on neo-conservatives.
Follow the link for the rest of the report card.
