July, 2015 archive
Cats Are Contrary 0
They usually refuse to go back into the bag.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet one more case of accidental politeness:
Only in It for the Money 0
Render unto Caesa–oh, wait.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Warning: Language.
Cavalcade of Spots 0
J. D. Hansard is tired of being pursued by relentless bearers of benighted bargains. A snippet:
Our phone is like a nest of chiggers. When I was a kid and went blackberry picking, I might come home with 20 itchy chigger bites. They tormented me — like the phone does now.
In this household, the situation is so bad that we no longer answer the landline (yes, we have a landline for the fax–remember faxes?–and for the 911 call we hope will never happen). If you care about us, you care enough to leave a message, which we then ignore if it’s not from a real live human being.
I can also tell you that if the Caller ID shows “Private,” “Unavailable,” or “Unknown,” your call goes unanswered. If you don’t want us to know who you are, you have declared yourself ipso facto untrustworthy.
Unicorns and Bloodlust 2
At Talking Points Memo, Brendan Gilfillan tries to understand the Republican Party’s fascination with war as the first and only solution for every dispute. A snippet:
(snip)
The uncomfortable (and unpopular) subtext of many opponents’ public statements is clear: Despite the immense amount of blood and treasure spent in Iraq, some have still not learned the lesson that wars in the Middle East fought in the name of nuclear non-proliferation are best avoided ifs there is a better option.
Frankly, I think the reason is simple, but not at all pretty or even sane. It’s the same reason someone might have for shooting a horse grazing peacefully in a pasture: the lust for carnage, especially vicarious carnage from a safe distance, war as a spectator sport.
Trump’s Appeal 2
Jim Wright sums it up (emphasis in the original).
Donald Trump is the perfect Republican.
No wonder he embarrasses them.
Follow the link to find out why he says that.
The Gloomy Historian adds another perspective.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” (Updated) 1
None Dare Call It Terrorism 0
Alfred Doblin looks at the American disconnect: The implicit establishment consensus that home-grown white folks cannot be ipso facto terrorists, as they are not brown, so their murders, bombings, and other assorted rampages consequently cannot be called terrorism.
Read the rest, in which he finds a common denominator to the carnage.
Trump Glowers 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., tries to figure out the appeal of blowhard buffoonery to the Republican Party.
The billionaire developer and reality-show host did this because of, not despite, a portfolio of absurd promises, xenophobic rhetoric and preposterous assertions. . . .
And what do 17 percent of Republican votes see in this cornucopia of the bizarre? Let 59-year-old Steve Fusaro of San Clemente, California, speak for them all: “He’s got some backbone,” he told pollsters.
Backbone.
Aside:
Driftglass thinks that Donald Trump has a job: To make Scott Walker seem sane.
“Historical” /= “Honorable” 0
A California Democratic State Senator has a proposal. Here’s a bit from his article in the Sacramento Bee:
I don’t want to erase their names from our history books; I just don’t want our children looking up to people who fought for a system that treated humans as chattel.
This is the basis for my legislation, Senate Bill 539, the Frederick Douglass Liberty Act, which seeks to remove names of elected and military leaders of the Confederachttp://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article27733588.htmly from public places, including parks, buildings, roadways and schools.
I fear it is too much to hope that the big lie of Gone with the Wind and the “Land of Gracious Living” has run its course. I expect that the New Secesh will double-down on their culture of insurrection, on holding on to what they gained after losing the war, but winning the peace.
Nevertheless, it’s good to see public persons scrounge up the courage to call out the lie.
