February, 2025 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
If you’re unhappy about your meal, be sure to complain to the staff with politeness.
We are a broken society.
DOGE Bulls in the China Shop 0
Trump voter is hoist on her own petard.
But wait! There’s more.
Video via C&L, which has commentary.
The Wage Slave 0
PoliticalProf thinks he has a handle on the division of labor in our current federal (mal)administration.
Along those lines, the Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini imagines that Elon Musk emailed Donald Trump demanding that Trump justify his being on the federal payroll. Then he goes on to imagine just what Trump might write in reply. A nugget:
Monday: Played golf in Florida.
Tuesday: Played golf in Florida.
Now, he’s even more troubled, thinking that he needs to dress things up a little because he is the president, after all, and he actually did do a lot more than just play golf. So, moving on to the next day, he writes:
Wednesday: Played golf in Florida. But, BUT, I also spoke to a group where I slammed federal employees for not working in their offices and said, “All federal workers must once again show up to work. Show up to work in person like the rest of us. It doesn’t work when you don’t show up … They’re not working. They’re playing tennis, they’re playing golf …”
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Azadeh Aalai looks at how the internet, and particularly “social” media, has empowered scams and scammers. She focuses on the career of Belle Gibson, the subject of two recent documentaries.
Aalai points out that
Follow the link for the rest, and, remember, just because you read it on a screen, it ain’t necessarily so.
QOTD 0
Charlie Brill, in the voice of Capt. Harry Lipschitz:
A closed mind is like a closed door. It leads nowhere until it’s opened.
DOGE Bull, One More Time 0
Kevin D. Williamson calls out the DOGE bull. Here’s a bit from his article (emphasis added):
Now, there’s stuff in Williamson’s screed that I don’t agree with, mostly some of the generalizations that he makes about how stuff should work. Nevertheless, given said disagreements, he has a much clearer notion of what governance should be than does the current federal administration. And, after all, there’s only one person I agree with all the time, and he’s typing these letters right now . . . .
A Notion of Immigrants 0
I think it highly likely that this fellow’s ancestors were immigrants once. Indeed, anyone whose ancestors came here after 1491 is descended from immi–oh, never mind.
We are a society of stupid. And of hate-full.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Illinois Governor Pritzker hears a rhyme.
Via The Bob Cesca Show After Party.
_______________
*Mark Twain.
The Cloak of the Crypto Con 0
In the midst of a longer article about how he is somewhat taken aback by the loyalty of the Trumpettes in the face of Donald Trump’s actions, Devin Scillian notes how Trump is profiting from the crypto con:
The whole article is worth a read.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Self-politeness is the politest kind.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Vaccine Nation 0
Afterthought:
I had both kinds of measles when I was in elementary school. I can’t say they were terrible agony–certainly not any worse than the three cases of strep throat I had in my 20s–but they were not fun.
Why any sentient parents would choose to put their children at risk for that when it’s preventable is beyond me.
Doing so is cruel.
I do not think it an exaggeration to say that the anti-vax community promotes cruelty. Cruelty due to willful ignorance is still cruelty.
What’s in a Word? 0
Sometimes, not much. For example:
Ronald Greenberg argues that the word “conservative” no longer applies to today’s Republican Party. He finds aanother term more appropriate.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Michael in Norfolk gives away the game plan.