August, 2021 archive
History Matters 0
Americans seem to have short memory spans.
Joe Biden is not to blame for what’s happening in Afghanistan today, regardless of what you might be hearing on your telly vision.
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney started this folly, and theirs is the responsibility and the blame.
They opened the can.
They own the worms.
Jim Wright has more.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Yet another indication that “social” media isn’t.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The refrain repeats: Again politeness is child’s play.
Thus passeth another day in the NRA’s blood-soaked paradise.
A Matter of Degree 0
Words can indeed have consquences.
On Friday, Drexel University revoked the honorary Doctor of Laws degree it bestowed upon Giuliani in 2009, long before he became America’s deposed mayor.
A Question of Policy 0
David addresses the question of why Republicans emphasize “culture war” issues over policy issues.
Aside:
I would also suggest that, if Republicans clearly expressed their policy positions (such as “make the rich richer and the poor poorer” and, to put it bluntly, “let’s return to the days of de facto, if not de jure segregation”) they would lose many of their supporters–not the hard core ones, natch, but enough to reduce their power to a pittance.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
At The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bill Torpy tells of what happened when Doordash driver’s GPS sent him to the wrong house in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood and of the politeness that ensued thereafter.
Limitations of Statues 0
F. T. Rea muses on the removal of Confederate Statues from Richmond’s Monument Avenue and what it may mean for the future. Here’s a bit:
Fast-fowarding to more recent times, with his taking-a-knee gesture, Colin Kaepernick was right. Forced reverence should be challenged.
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
While northern California is in flames, elsewhere in the state, small towns are running dry. Here’s a bit from SFGate’s report:
And the fire department has asked sheriff’s deputies to keep an eye on the hydrants in response to a report of water theft.
“We’ve grown up in this first-world country thinking that water is a given,” said Julian Lopez, the owner at Café Beaujolais, a restaurant packed with out-of-town diners in what is the height of the tourist season. “There’s that fear in the back of all our minds there is going to be a time when we don’t have water at all. And only the people with money would be able to afford the right to it.”
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness is a family value.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
New Jersey pastors call out the Republican lieutenant-governor candidate for racist, bigoted remarks. Here’s what she said:
Here’s part of the pastors’ response; follow the link for the rest.
Senator Allen is not alone in using this dangerous rhetoric. She joins the ranks of elected officials and cable news pundits who have sought to offload accountability for failed efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 on migrants crossing the southern border.
It should come as no surprise that their claims have been thoroughly debunked.
Body Count (Updated) 0
Dick Polman explores the decisions by Texas Governor Abbot and Florida Governor DeSantis to relax the reins and give the virus its head in its mad dash through the populace of their states. He minces no words.
A snippet:
(snip)
What explains the Abbott-DeSantis death match? That’s an easy one. The cult formerly known as the Republican party virtually requires it.
Follow the link for his marshaling of the evidence.
Addendum:
