May, 2018 archive
A Sign of the Times 0
Follow the link for a thoughtful, well reasoned, and sourced article taking down a gun nut apologist, one lie at a time.
Droning On 0
I noted these charges several months ago. Now comes the reckoning:
Cole Kelley pleaded guilty Tuesday to a gross misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment, acknowledging he “flew a drone in a manner that caused a likelihood of harm to persons or property,” court records say.
The story goes on to report that he was given a suspended sentence, fined, and banned from future dronings on.
Arms and the Boy 0
Solomon Jones looks at the spate of school shootings and reflects on the white privilege to bear arms. A snippet:
Until America is willing to confront these obvious truths, we won’t be able to solve the scourge of school shootings. Because acknowledging that white males in non-urban environments are most likely to commit school shootings would require America to abandon its most treasured stereotypes. . . .
In a country that has long portrayed city-dwelling people of color as the main purveyors of violence, that kind of acknowledgement would require a fundamental reshaping of who we are. America would have to profile white suburban males with the same fervor it does urban males of color. Police officers would have to claim they fear for their lives in the presence of white rural men and boys. The veil of suspicion that drapes over the lives of males of color would have to be extended to white males, as well.
Do please read the rest.
“That Toddlin’ Town” 0
Josh Marshall muses on the relationship between Donald Trump’s history in the New York real estate market and his behavior as President. A snippet:
It’s a long, thoughtful piece that is well worth a look.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness is child’s play.
The story continues to say that the 4-year-old that the gun was a toy.
QOTD 0
Robert van Gulik:
Judge Dee stroked his beard. He reflected that is host was an extremely astute man. He said so much that he said practically nothing.
van Gulik, Robert, The Chinese Maze Murders (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1997), p. 145.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
At the Bangor Daily News, Stefano Tijerina pens a lengthy analysis of what he believes has gone wrong with news coverage. He suggests that the primary issue is not “fake news,” but a much broader one of “useless news,” arguing that accuracy and well-reasoned analysis have been sacrificed to entertainment value and ratings.
As with a piece I posted a couple of days ago, I quibble that he uses the term “media” when the context of the piece shows clearly that his primary focus is broadcast media, particularly television. Nevertheless, the piece is well worth a read. Here’s an excerpt (emphasis added):
Today global media and its professionals are motivated by market value systems that have replaced the integrity of the profession. Media relies less and less on research and more on speculation camouflaged by invited guests and “experts” that magically predict and loosely interpret the basic facts and rumors of the day. For example, instead of thoroughly explaining to the public the degree of interdependence that exists between the North American Free Trade (NAFTA) agreement partnership and the complexity of dismantling the trade agreement that has resulted in an energy, pipeline, telecommunications, infrastructure and industrial trilateral integration, media opts to water down the information in order to simplistically argue that either the Trump administration policies on NAFTA are good or bad.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness is essential to domestic tranquility.
Fly the Fiendly Skies 0
Lay off those double vodka-and-tonics.
Words fail me.
