June, 2022 archive
Vaccine Nation 0
Yet more stupid: Ted Cruz picks a fight with Elmo the Muppet over COVID-19 vaccinations.
We are a suicidal society. We are stupiding ourselves to extinction.
The Obvious Will Out 0
Emma points out, “Lay in bed with a tiger and it claws your face.”
He laid in bed with a tiger. It (figuratively) clawed his face.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Show politeness when passing other motorists on the nation’s highways.
Originalist Sin, Catch-22 Dept. 0
It’s the best catch there is.
Jonathan Wolf explains at Above the Law. Here’s a bit (warning: mild language):
Alienable Rights 0
Michael Paul Williams reminds us that the United States and its Supreme Court have a history of granting, then retracting rights. Here’s just one of the examples he cites (emphasis added):
“Every 15 years, the status of Black people changed according to the Supreme Court,” Perry* said. “Our rights are as firm as the people who vote to protect them.”
The battle is never over.
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*Howard University political science professor Ravi Perry.
Devolution 0
Thom sees a pattern.
Republican Family Values 0
Aside:
When I was a young ‘un, back in the olden days, my mother subscribed to Lady’s Home Journal and McCall’s Magazine (both of which are now defunct). I read them, because I read everything I could get my hands on, even my father’s issues of U. S. News and World Report, which he subscribed to after Time Magazine ticked him off for some reason.
Those ladies’ magazines were not just about fashion and make-up. The death toll from back-alley abortions was a frequent topic. Because I was a young ‘un, I can’t say that I understood the physiology, at least not until later when I was not quite such a young ‘un, but I certainly understood the psychology: frightened women in crisis, feeling imperiled, futures and reputations endangered, desperately taking dangerous chances to protect themselves, their futures, and sometimes their families.
And today’s Republican Party would bring those days back.
The Authoritarian Appeal, Reprise 0
Uriel Abulof, like Daniel F. Seidman whom I mentioned yesterday, is exploring the appeal of authoritarianism.
In Part 2 of two-part series (Part 1 is linked at the link), he makes three main points:
- Some leaders are like toxic therapists: By displaying both power and victimhood, they abuse people’s fears and frustrations.
- People tend to project their pains onto their leader’s wounds and introject the leader’s strength to seek revenge and redemption.
- Some Americans feel like victims, a sensation that may be driven by narcissism and manipulation.
Follow the link for a detailed discussion of each.
QOTD 0
J. William Fulbright:
Power confuses itself with virtue and tends also to take itself for omnipotence.
The Authoritarian Appeal 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Daniel F. Seidman compares and contrast democracy, authorianism, and laissez faire approaches to making decisions, with particular attention the the first two. Along the way, he discusses what attracts persons to authoritarianism. Much of what he says sounds eerily familiar . . . .
Here’s a tiny little bit:
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Melinda Hennenberger marvels at the pretzel logic fantasy world of the New Secesh. A snippet:
Follow the link for the rest.
