July, 2016 archive
Dallas 0
I got nothing. I don’t yet know enough to form an opinion and my first thought is something I’d later regret voicing.
My motto is, “Opinion-based snark: the snarkiest kind.”
I will, nevertheless, commend Thoreau’s remarks to your attention.
Still on the subject of Dallas, Leonard Pitts, Jr., sees parallels with the 1960s.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
If you are polite, ignorance can be an excuse (emphasis added).
Gregory County Sheriff Tim Drey said he has not finished speaking with the alleged shooter but believes the incident was accidental, saying the man who owned the handgun was “just somebody who didn’t know how to handle a firearm.”
The story goes on to say that a decision about possible charges has yet to be made, but never mind it was an accident.
In related news, Funny or Die has obtained the NRA’s Guide to Guys with Guns.
Facebook Frolics (Udated) 0
Now you see it, now you don’t.
Addendum, Later That Same Day:
From El Reg:
Multiple sources with knowledge of the event have tonight confirmed to The Register that someone – highly suspected to be the city’s police – used her phone to remove her recording from public view shortly after the shooting. This was no technical glitch.
More at the link.
Stray Question 0
Why do the manufacturers of sneakers (“trainers” in the UK) default to using laces long enough to moor a boat (or get tangled in your bicycle chain)?
Dumb and Dumbest 0
I wish I were as optimistic as Farron regarding the “not going to cut it factor.”
Self-Fulfilling Prophets 0
At the Des Moines Register, Matt Sinovic discusses the “con” in “conservative”; here’s a snippet:
Red Harvest* 0
At Science 2.0, Hontas Farmer discusses yet another case of a black man killed by police for being.
____________________
*With apologies to Dashiel Hammett.
Comment Is Free-for-All 0
Samantha Bee reads on-line comments she has received. (Warning: NSFW.)
In related news, Guardian staffers discuss The Guardian’s experiences with on-line comments. It’s not pretty.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Teach your children well.
She clearly picked the wrong teacher, along with yet another gun that fires itself.
The GOP Tent Meeting 0
Via Job’s Anger.
Afterthought:
To the extent that Republicans of good will remain silent in the face of Trumpery, they abdicate their claim to be “of good will.”
Nothing To Do. Nowhere To Go 0
Still holding.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, declined to 264,750 from 267,250 in the prior week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits decreased by 44,000 to 2.12 million in the week ended June 25. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.6 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.
Reciprocity 2
Bonddad muses on the resurgence of right-wing politics and isolationism:
At the link, he offers a theory as to why persons might be willing to vote against what appears to be their obvious economic self-interest as described in aforesaid “mainstream economic theory.” His theory is worth a read.
Meta: Music that Swings 0
If you saved the stream to a playlist in *.m3u, *.pls, or other such format, note that the URL for the stream has changed and update your playlist accordingly.
Short Attention Span Theatre 0
The resident curmudgeon at my local rag is driven to distraction.
Later:
When I was on my way to the TWUUG meeting the day after I posted this, some bozo coming the other way tried to swing a left at a light in front of me while I was trying to go straight with the right-of-way. I seldom use my horn, but using it gave me pleasure at that point in a juncture of a confluence of time.
He was not texting or talking on a cell. He was just a bozo incapable of thinking of anything other than hisownself.