2020 archive
The True Believers 0
At The Roanoke Times, Andy Parker argues–and methinks he has a point–that Trumpism has become a cult. A snippet:
Yet here we are with a cult of millions that make Scientologists look like mainstream Methodists.
Follow the link for the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Tet another hunter can’t tell a human being from (in this case) small game.
Here’s the headline; follow the link for the story.
Hunter who thought he was firing at animal shot and killed teen at Lake Nockamixon, DA says
Drop. Bucket. 0
Aside:
I wish people would get their terms correct. These are not “stimulus” checks. They are relief checks.
The Brother Hunt 0
Two of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels concerned finding family: The Father Hunt and The Mother Hunt. In both of them, Nero Wolfe solved the mystery.
Now, Donald Trump is off on a brother hunt, but Nero Wolfe he’s not.
Mummers of Discontent 0
In the three decades I lived in the Philadelphia area, I never–not once–had any desire to go to the Mummers Parade. The idea of standing on Broad Street in freezing temperatures did not appeal to me as the way to usher in the New Year. That some of the Mummers had a history of less than proper and considerate behavior was not a factor in my thinking; the thermometer was.
In recent years, some of the Mummers have been criticized for racist and bigoted undercurrents (in some cases, overcurrents) in their costumes and conduct. Note that I said “some of,” as the parade is composed of many different groups; pretty much the only thing they have in common is the parade.
At the Inky, Daniel Gold, one of the marchers, writes of wanting to see this aspect of Mummery improve and considers why such improvement is a struggle. His comments are perceptive and can be extended to the larger society. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
To be blunt, most Mummers don’t understand the problem. And not enough are interested in figuring it out. They don’t feel racist, so they can’t understand why the public would see them that way. They view individual acts of racism as individual problems, and assume if they’re not the one doing it or getting caught, they’re not the problem.
But that’s not how it works. Racism is complex. Though it often occurs at the individual level, it is a cultural problem. In western society, it has artificially pit Black against white and historically created a hierarchy placing white at the top. When people speak of systemic racism, this is what they mean. In America, we all live with this and play a part. We either work to combat it or escalate it.
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
A federal judge considers the criteria for clemency from the current federal executive.
Details at the link
Parler Tricks 0
One more time, the internet is a public place.
Aside:
From what I’ve heard–I’m sure not going to find out for myself–Parler is such a sloppy operation that his account very well could have been impersonated, if not actually hacked.
Oops 0
I tried to install a plugin to make this site more mobile friendly and it broke my WordPress.
I had my hosting account open at the time, so I went to phpMyAdmin, opened the file manager, navigated to the WordPress plugin directory, deleted the plugin’s directory, and everything worked again.
(Wiping brow) I got off easy that time. And I learned something.
Last time something went wrong, I was offline for a month.
Bitter Enders 0
One is mildly taken aback that Trump supporters would look to Stalin for inspiration.
But only mildly, as their bent to plumb the depths has been amply demonstrated aforetimes.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Party politely.
The Washoe County sheriff’s office said it is believed somebody at the party fired a weapon into the dark not knowing she was there. The teen is expected to recover from her injuries.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
