From Pine View Farm

August, 2021 archive

Geeking Out, Macabre Dept. 0

The COVID-19 screensaver from the Xscreensaver suite on Debian Buster/Sid.

Screenshot

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A Tune for the Times 0

Warning: Mild language.

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Plus ca Change 0

Thom points out that there is ample precedent for today’s right-wing in American history.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Once again, politeness is child’s play.

Speaking of a society of stupid . . . .

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Rand Gestures 0

Rand Paul spouts horse hooey.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We are a society of stupid.

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School Daze 0

At the Idaho State Journal, Chris Huston discusses recent spate of threats and acts of physical and verbal violence directed at school boards, faculty, and even students over common-sense precautions against pandemic, including–indeed, primaril–mask requirements. Here’s one example; a web search will turn up many more.

Here’s a bit from his piece; follow the link for the rest:

And so the armies of the angry relentlessly scour society for new targets to turn upon. And that’s the problem with conspiracies. Once you accept a perceived reality of nefarious forces working secretly to achieve their ungodly goals, then all the world’s a threat, and all the men and women merely combatants to be crushed under the holy dictum that the ends justify the means, no matter how distasteful the means may be.

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Lessons Unlearned 0

In the first half of this week’s episode of Le Show, Harry Shearer reads from the August 16 “Lessons Learned” report of the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

It is not pretty, but it needs to be heard.

You can download the Special Inspector General’s reports (PDF) from the SIGAR website.

I would not call this “recommended listening.” Rather, I would call it required listening.

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Running the Numbers 0

In Maine, Paul LePage, the Republican who held the governorship before the current Democratic incumbent, is bent on getting his old job back. It appears he will attempt to make an issue of Maine’s response to COVID-19. In an article looking at the impending campaign, the Portland Press-Herald’s Greg Kesich cites some statistics:

Texas, where Gov. Gregg Abbott has gone to court to prevent both public and private entities from mandating mask wearing, has lost 55,000 people, at a rate of 192 per 100,000 population.

Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis champions an expensive, brand-name pharmaceutical COVID treatment but won’t require anyone to get vaccinated, has lost 42,000 people, at a rate of 197 per 100,000 population.

South Dakota, led by right-wing superstar Kristi Noem, who had the nerve to come to Maine to campaign for Donald Trump last year while her hands-off public health policies were spreading COVID across the upper Midwest, has lost 2,000 people, or 233 per 100,000.

Maine has lost 926 people to COVID, a rate of 69 per 100,000.

The complete article is at the link.

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QOTD 0

Herbert Schiller:

How did thinking that benefited the few gain the acceptance of the many?

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They Drank the Snake Oil 0

A Nevada feed store is now requiring customers to provide pictures of their horses if they want to purchase horse de-worming medicine.

And, in related news, an Ohio judge orders diet of dewormer.

We are a society of stupid.

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Maskless Marauders 0

Howard Dean minces no words about Florida Man.

Via C&L, which has commentary.

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Decoding De Code 0

The Majority Report untangles the the real meaning of the term, “school choice.”

America’s original sin of chattel slavery manifests itself in many ways.

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Fly the Fiendly Skies . . . 0

. . . and you, too, can go viral.

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Maskless Marauders 0

Woman holding sign reading

The artist comments. Here’s a bit of what he has to say; follow the link for the rest.

If you’re anything like me, your social media feed is chock full of red-faced suburbanites spraying angry spittle all over the podium at their local school board meetings as they decry the loss of freedom and liberty that comes with being asked to think about someone other than yourself for two damn minutes.

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One Thing Is Not Like the Other Thing 0

The writer of a letter to the editor of The Roanoke Times muses on the difference between a political party and a cult.

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Stray Thought 0

Looking at posts on “social” media and videos on Youtube does not constitute in any way “research.”

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QOTD 0

H. G. Wells:

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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Then and Now 0

Title:  Ironies of Afghanistan.  Frame One, captioned

Click for the original image.

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And the Winner Is . . . . 0

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