September, 2020 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The hunt for politeness continues apace.
When darkness set in around 8 p.m., the group still had their weapons out, police said. Koach said the stepfather fired a shot that struck the 11-year-old boy.
“At this point, shots were fired,” Koach said. “They thought they were shooting at a deer and one of the rounds hit the young man.”
One more time, “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron.
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
Thom remarks on the similarities between stuff that appears on QAnon and Nazi (and before that Russian) antisemitic propaganda and posits that there is a direct link from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to Nazism to QAnon.
The Businesses of America Are Giving America the Businesses 0
Mike Ellerbrock points to a number for factors to explain what he dubs “the lopsided evolution of income, wealth, and power during the last four decades.” Follow the link for a detailed discussion of each one.
- Stakeholders vs Shareholders.
- Workers’ Wages.
- Workplace Justice.
- Corporate Welfare.
- Market Concentration.
- Civic Leadership.
Maskless Marauders 0
Honest to Betsy, you can’t make this stuff up.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society’ 0
At the Hartford Courant, John C. Hall describes what he felt when packing heat, which may be best described as “the cycle of politeness.” Here’s a bit:
I recall thinking, “As long as I have this gun, nobody can mess with me.”
(snip)
Then I wondered: How many other people have guns? Probably a lot. With guns in my world, and especially when I was holding a loaded gun in my hands, my imagination quickly inhabited a world that was scarier, more criminal and more violent. So while holding a gun is rather thrilling at first, over time, guns did not make me feel safer.
Presumption 0
Police pummel passenger for being in a “ride share” with a broken tail light.
It is difficult for citizens to respect law enforcers when the law enforcers do not respect either citizens or the law. Just sayin’.
The Guru and the Groupies 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Steve Taylor explores the “abdication syndrome,” which refers to persons’ choosing to abdicate their autonomy to a charismatic leader or guru. He suggests that it can help understand the fanatic devotion of Donald Trump’s base, even as his behavior demonstrates repeatedly that he doesn’t have a clue about how government, politics, or international relations (let alone integrity or morality) work. Here’s a bit; the rest is worth a look:
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
In The Roanoke Times, an old white man (I can identify) tells of his journey to discover the lie of the myth of the Lost Cause which he absorbed during his upbringing. It is a powerful piece; here’s a bit:
Facebook Frolics (Updated) 0
Lies about the wildfires in the West are spreading on Facebook like, you will pardon the expression, wildfire.
We are a society of stupid.
And gullible.
Addendum:
Will Bunch is distressed by the Americans’ gullibility quotient. Here’s a snippet from his column:
Aside:
I trained as an historian. I know that societies can go nuts.
But I’m most distressed to witness my own society doing so.
I am not sanguine.
