His Moment of Defame 0
Elie Mystal comments on the defamation suit filed by the MAGA teen (AKA, “the little smirk”) against The Washington Post. After pointing out that truth is a defense against such a lawsuit, Mystal goes on to say
Follow the link for context.
“It Can Happen Here” 3
At The Sacramento Bee, Sasha Abramsky considers Donald Trump’s bogus “national emergency” and sounds a warning. An excerpt:
That, I suppose, should not be a surprise. At every step of the way over the past two years of Trump’s authoritarian and sadistic governance, when the GOP has had the chance to stand up to him and do the right thing, it has chosen instead to roll over. It has done exactly the wrong thing – choosing to placate its increasingly fanatical base, no matter the long-term damage to the country’s democratic infrastructure and global reputation.
The Narcissism of Political Purists 0
My two or three regular readers know that one of my political pet peeves about “progressives” is the purists.
You know who they are: They’re the folks who say of one candidate or the other,
I agree with X on 95% of their positions, but I disagree with X on this one thing, so I’m going to cast a protest vote for [Jill Stein | Ralph Nader | Felix the Wondercat].
I think this video is germane.
“Mean for the Sake of Mean” 0
In The Roanoke Times, Nancy Liebrecht sums up the Trump administration’s governing philosophy. A snippet:
Donald Trump and his administration clearly view cruelty as an appropriate means of achieving their aims.
Follow the link for context.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Once again, politeness is child’s play.
The child is being charged.
Thus passeth another day in the Garden of NRA Delights.
The Jerk Quotient 0
This Psychology Today Blog post will help you understand our clear and president danger.
United Skaters 0
Shaun Mullen comments on the American politics of the free pass.
Taking Stock 0
Thom offers an inventory of actual crises.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Put a new spin on politeness.
Authorities say the accidental shooting took place during a birthday party at the man’s home for his 16-year-old daughter.
Geeking Out 0
The Plasma Desktop on Debian Sid, with the GKrellM system monitor, Swisswatch, and the Dolphin file manager (shaded).
To be honest, I posted this just because I like the wallpaper picture.
Lesson Learned 0
The Roanoke Times addresses the blackface controversy currently surrounding my governor and actually does some research. It traced down the text books that were in use when when Governor Northam was in school and points out that they grossly and purposefully misrepresented slavery, the Civil War, and the war’s aftermath.* Here’s a bit:
This is, of course, no excuse for being so stupid as to put on blackface in the first place, but it could be a mitigating factor for not realizing the full implications of doing so.
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*They did. I had some of those same text books and, indeed, remember the lie about “indentured servants.”
But I was a history major in college, where I unlearned Virginia’s lies. I doubt that Mr. Northam, as a prospective med student, had one-twelfth the number of history classes that I did over four years of college and a year of grad work (which taught me that, however much I may have loved the study of history, I was not cut out to be a professional academician).