2017 archive
Rageaholics 0
At the New York Times, Emory University Professor Carol Anderson explores how racism and bigotry infuse the politics and political tactics of Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travellers. Here’s a snippet; follow the link for the rest.
The guiding principle in Mr. Trump’s government is to turn the politics of white resentment into the policies of white rage — that calculated mechanism of executive orders, laws and agency directives that undermines and punishes minority achievement and aspiration.
Afterthought:
I recently purchased a Sunday-only print subscription to the New York Times, and I’m glad I did. Although I adhere to the “why would anyone want a newspaper that doesn’t have comics” school of thought, it really is darned good reading (except for David Brooks’s column, which is mindless piffle why they keep someone who is always wrong on the payroll is beyond me).
I must say I’m quite impressed with their customer support. The first paper was supposed to arrive last Sunday and did not. When I called the number in their “Did You Enjoy Your First NYT” email, their Automatic Lady was without question the best Automatic Lady I’ve dealt with on a toll-free number. Automatic Lady credited my account without question and suggested I call back during normal business hours on Monday.
I did so and I was talking to a courteous and competent Real Live Human Being in fewer than 30 seconds. And my Sunday Times was there on the doorstep this morning.
I reckon reading it will take me all week.
Magic from the Magic Kingdom 0
El Reg reports that Disney is being sued:
“In other words, the ability to serve behavioral advertisements to a specific user no longer turns upon obtaining the kinds of data with which most consumers are familiar (email addresses, etc), but instead on the surreptitious collection of persistent identifiers, which are used in conjunction with other data points to build robust online profiles,” the suit claims.
I wonder whether their defense will be, “All the other kids are doing it.”
“Show Me the Money” 0
Congressman Ralph Ellison explains that the numbers don’t lie.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Rear your children to be polite.
(snip)
. . . he found a handgun in a case under a bed in an upstairs bedroom.
“The boy was able to open the case and handled the firearm, at which time the handgun fired a single round, fatally striking the boy,” Back said in the release.
The Panderers’ Party (Updated) 0
In the Portland Press-Herald, Roger Bowen reflects on the Republican Party’s denial of objective facts. He starts with Republicans’ denial of climate change, when is already affecting Maine’s lobster industry, and moves on to other issues. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
No surprise – America’s voting public is polarized, and partisan stances on climate change is but one example. . . .
To deny climate change is to repudiate the former president, much in the same way as to deny the beneficial effects of Obamacare, such as providing health insurance for the poor, is seen as an opportunity to reverse Obama’s success. If today’s Republican Party stands for anything, it stands for undoing Obama’s contributions to advancing the public good.
Customer Satisfaction 0
Bob Heghmann, 70, filed a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court, saying the national and Virginia Republican parties and some GOP leaders raised millions of dollars in campaign funds while knowing they weren’t going to be able to overturn the law also known as Obamacare.
This suit doesn’t have a prayer, of course, as it is completely detached from objective reality.
As are most Trump supporters.
Details at the link.
How Stuff Works, Faking the News Dept. 0
At The Local, James Savage recounts how that website got embroiled in a fake news story. A snippet; follow the link for the full story (emphasis added):
The story was piffle. And despite appearances, it was not on The Local. Someone had cloned The Local, using a similar web address, and had published the story. Reuters and other international media had picked it up and re-reported it, citing The Local. The story didn’t sound outlandish and its apparent appearance in mainstream media gave it credibility.
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.
It beats the hell out of me how persons will unquestioningly believe stuff they see on their computer tablets when they would unhesitatingly question the same stuff if Moses brought it down from Mt. Sinai on stone tablets.
A Question of Identity 0
In a larger column about the apparent survival of the Affordable Care Act, despite Mitch McConnell’s machinations, Paul Krugman serves up this gem:
Follow the link for the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Practice makes polite.
Investigators say a St. Johns County man was killed by a “long distance shot.”
It happened at a trailer down a dirt road off State Road 16 in an area with a lot of trees and open land around it.
A family member went to check the property and discovered 51-year-old Chester Ratliff’s body on July 30, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators believe it was an “accidental” shooting.
(snip)
Several neighbors told Action News Jax it’s not uncommon for people in this area to shoot target practice in their backyards.
“In the Pentagon, There Was General Consternation (and His Entire Staff)” 0
I’d be happier if Farron gave the source of the report to which he prefers, but I have found his facts to have been reliable in the pasto
“The Apes Are Already Here” 0
Pauly Shore channels Steven Miller (warning: language):