2017 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
More polite play.
A 4-year-old girl is in critical condition after a shooting Friday night.
(snip)
Investigators said two or three young children were at the home, and they said the 4-year-old was playing with the gun.
Just another day in the Gun Nut Garden of Eden . . . .
“Look in the Mirror, Boy” 0
In an editorial, Der Spiegel takes a look at Donald Trump.
It is not flattering.
Here’s an excerpt:
Follow the link for the complete article.
“No Irish Need Apply” 0
Writing from disgust, Robert F. Lyons protests Donald Trump’s and the Trumpkins’ immigration proposals by telling the story of his Irish immigrant ancestors.
Read it.
Droning On 0
Boys and their toys . . . .
The pilot landed the plane safely without needing to take evasive action, according to a newly released Federal Aviation Administration report. But the Jan. 23 incident, one of at least 27 pilot-reported drone sightings so far this year near Bay Area airports, highlights the growing problem drones pose to airports.
Follow the link for the full article; the problem is much greater than one would think. Over the past two years, there have been 3,000 such incidents in the U. S.
Southern Heritage and Southern Hypocrisy 0
My local rag looks at a monumental concomitance (more at the link):
Up to 25 people were auctioned at a time. The Norfolk crowd was usually a small group of traders with offices down the street, looking to buy slaves they could ship down to New Orleans at a big mark-up.
Once in a line, their clothes were stripped off so they could be inspected. Families were often split up.
These slave auctions were held steps away from where the city’s Confederate monument now stands, and a stone’s throw from jails where slaves were kept, historians say.
It’s largely the same story for two other prominent Confederate monuments in South Hampton Roads, although experts say the extent of the region’s role in the slave trade has been largely forgotten.
Shush.
Listen very carefully.
You won’t hear the folks who glorify gracious living in the Old South talk about this, even though it was the foundation thereof.
Ugly Americans 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., points out the uncomfortable truth: “No, we are not ‘better than this.'”
Recruiting Posers 0
Addendum:
As of today, there are conflicting reports as to the web location of The Daily Stormer. TPM reports that it has moved to the Dark Web. My attempt to connect to several variants of its name at a dot-ru address yielded a 404.
As I said earlier, I wouldn’t explore the Dark Web on a bet. It’s not that the Dark Web is all bad–it isn’t–but it’s not worth it to me to learn what’s safe and what’s not.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Show politeness to the children.
The man allegedly walked toward the boy in the middle of the street and said, “Hello.”
The boy said, “hello” in return, reports say.
The man then lifted his left hand from behind his hip, exposing a black handgun, and pointed the weapon at the boy, according to Novak’s account.
The boy said the man pointed the gun at him from about three feet away and that he feared for his life and peddled away as quickly as he could, the incident report says.
The police have picked up the polite pointer.
All That Was Old Is New Again (or Is It?) 0
In an interesting counterpoint, the Bangor Daily News includes two syndicated articles from the Washington Post. One looks at parallels between today’s American fascists and those of the 1930s, while the other argues that there’s something different about today’s American fascists.
I think they are both correct, because the authors are coming at the issue from two different perspectives. One is focusing on the genesis of the fascist resurgence, whereas the other focuses on its essence.
Check them out and see what you think.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
This is your country on Trump.
“It was just something stupid that we thought would be funny, but it didn’t turn out to be funny at all,” the boy told Fox 13 Memphis. “It wasn’t supposed to be racist.”