July, 2020 archive
Stray Thought 0
“Freedom of speech” does not mean freedom from criticism.
Nor, for that matter, does it mean that anyone is obligated to give a damn about what you spoke.
The Art of the Con 0
Aside:
I wish I could be as optimistic about November as Thom seems to be.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Responsible gun owners celebrate politely.
Police told Johnson it appeared to be a fallen bullet, possibly from celebratory gunfire. It came in through the top of a bedroom window, ricocheted from a rail on a top bunk bed and landed on the bottom mattress, Johnson said. They found it about 10 inches from Miranda’s pillow.
One more time, “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron.
QOTD 0
Robert Goldsborough, in the voice of Nero Wolfe:
We do not yet dwell in what I would term a police state, and I hope I do not live to see that eventuality.
Goldsborough, Robert, Stop the Presses (New York: Mysterious Press, 2016), p. 147.
Misdirection Play, the Cause That Was Lost Dept. 0
At the Bangor Daily News, historian and pastor the Rev. J. Mark Worth shreds the long-standing Southern propaganda effort to protray secession as somehow a noble and worthy cause. He points out that there are not statues to Benedict Arnold ans asks why we have monuments to Confederate generals.
Here’s a bit of his answer (emphasis added):
(snip)
Did Southerners also want states’ rights? Yes, when it meant their right to enslave other human beings. But they opposed states rights when Northern states didn’t want to return black people to enslavement in the South.
Doubling Down, Reprise 0
David suggests that, in the face of falling polls, Donald Trump is doubling down on racism, hate speech, and lies in what David contends is a culture war. I think is point is worth consideration.
Full Disclosure:
My two or three regular readers have likely noticed that I pay almost no attention to polls and polling data. I decided long ago not to waste these electrons on polls. It’s difficult enough to understand the past. I’m not even going to try to predict the future.
This, however, is not about prediction; it’s about how the perception of the polls is affecting what’s happening now.
America’s Epidemic Flailure 0
A Florida lawyer prepares to argue his case in these viral times.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet another responsible gun owner discharges his responsibility.
The bullet ricocheted off some trees, then struck the man, according to the sheriff’s office.
QOTD 0
Mandy Patinkin (in the voice of Jason Gideon):
In my experience, evil not a cultural phenomenon. It’s a human one.
Blind Eyes 0
In a timely post at Psychology Today Blogs, Melissa Burkley explores why persons can recognize racist acts in others, but not in themselves. Here’s a bit from her introduction.
Determined to find an answer to this question, my graduate student Angela Bell and I designed a series of experiments.
Follow the link to learn more about the experiments and the conclusions the researchers drew from them.
