For the Record . . . . 0
Field draws on his personal experience to try to understand why Omarosa (and, he suspects, many others may be making dodgy, if not outright illegal recordings of events in the Trump White House. A snippet:
In short, there are a small number of reasons someone might record a conversation:
1. Profit
2. Blackmail
3. Ass Covering in an environment where illegal things are happening
Follow the link for the remainder of his analysis.
Breathe Deeply . . . While You Can 0
David discusses the Trump administration’s moves to allow greater use of asbestos while limiting the ability to study its dangers.
Russian Impulses 0
See Shaun Mullen suggests that Trump’s-Putin bromance isn’t working out as expected, for either party.
Telling It Like It Isn’t 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., looks back at the white-wing violence in Charlottesville a year ago. He has tired of mealy-mouthed equivocations masquerading as “civility” and suggests that facts should not be subject to debate.
A snippet:
They turn intolerance into a sterile intellectual exercise, the fears and experiences of its victims reduced to irrelevant footnotes. We debate the meaning of “alt-right,” debate whether Twitter should give David Duke’s account the same credibility it gives Jim Acosta’s, debate whether Holocaust deniers should be on Facebook and never seem to get that in the very act of making hatred a “debate,” we legitimize it, give it a seat at the table.
(I would further argue that “civility’ refers to how you present an argument, not to the argument itself. Denying the holocaust, just to pick an example, is inherently uncivil, regardless how sweet the words or dulcet the tone; doing so denies not only a well-documented event–not only were there witnesses, but the Nazis kept records–but also the humanity of those who suffered it, as well as denying the inhumanity of those who perpetrated it.)
Tip of the Iceberg 0
Make no mistake, I think that 3-D printed guns is a profoundly stupid idea that appeals primarily to firearms fetishists who want yet another portable penis, this one a plastic toy, to caress and, secondarily, to those designing to do evil in an undetectable manner.
But, really, is it any stupider than guns everywhere?
Flagging Interest 0
Jim Wright dissects the Trumplers’ rage at NFL players’ daring to kneel during the national anthem.
No excerpt or summary can do his piece justice. Just read it.
Jonesing for a Scapegoat 0
Starting with the recent kerfuffle over Alex Jones, Michael J. Socolow analyzes the appeal of hate-speech. After recounting a short history of hate-full-ness in American history, he posits some thoughts about why it finds a welcoming audience. Here’s a nugget:
And a large audience of disappointed people looking for excuses will always exist. Their civics textbooks and teachers taught them that hard work, diligence, obedience to authority and responsible living inevitably results in economic prosperity.
But it often doesn’t work out that way. They feel lied to, and InfoWars exists to confirm* their suspicions.
_______________
*I would have said, “exploit.”
Bowls Full of Jelly 0
In response to a caller, David explores several reasons why Republicans who claim not to support Donald Trump refuse to stand up to him.
What Is Truth? 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Eric Leuthardt struggles with the deluge of news and stuff pretending to be news and suggests a methodology for adapting to the new world of lying bots, credulous cretins, and bigoted blatherers.
I’ve sat on this link for a couple of days debating how to address it.
I’m not sure to what extent I agree with him, but I think his article is worth a look. Nothing in it, though, addresses what I consider the true issue: that many of our fellow citizens have chosen to eschew objective reality.
“Sic ’em” 0
Farron dissects Laura Ingraham’s now notorious rant against immigrants.
In an item on the same theme, Monica Hesse offers a theory as to why why Alex Jones and his acolytes are so frightened of the Other (which “Other” keeps changing, but, take it from me, there is always an “Other.” I commend the entire piece to your attention. Here’s a key bit: