Russian Impulses 0
Josh Marshall takes a long and thoughtful look at the Russian cyber-disinformation campaign to exacerbate American cultural and political divisions and defeat Hilary Clinton. Here’s a striking bit:
One Thing Is Not Like the Other Thing 0
Randye Hoder points out similarities between the conduct towards women of Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein because of Weinstein’s contributions to Democratic candidates and causes.
She then notes a crucial difference:
. . . there’s only one difference that matters: We didn’t make Harvey Weinstein president.
Click the link to follow her path the this conclusion.
Fancy Words Don’t Make Stupid Smart 0
When I was a corporate trainer, we fought gobbledygook all the time. It was quite a challenge to get trainees to internalize a growing awareness of this verity.
A Sign of Sporting Sanity 0
The Austrian state of Tyrol, which contains the city of Innsbruck, has voted against bidding to be the site of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Olympics long ago went from being a celebration of athletic prowess to become a branding frenzy of corporate greed, in the process morphing into more trouble than they are worth.
And then there’s the tantalizing question of which is more corrupt, the IOC, FIFA, or the NCAA.
QOTD 0
Robert Goldsborough:
. . . too often, what we refer to as humility is only false modesty strutting on the parade ground.
Goldsborough, Robert, The Bloodied Ivy (New York: Bantam Books, 1989), p. 167
How Stuff Works, the Right-Wing Noise Machine Dept. 0
In the midst of a larger article about Trump’s fumbled fulminations about expressing condolences to the families of the four soldiers who fell in Niger, Paul Waldman describes the wingnut propaganda process. You can follow the link for the complete article, but here’s the crucial bit:
(Open tag fixed. Darned computers expect you to splet stuf rite.)
Return of a Classic 0
In The Roanoke Times, Steve Frey despairs at the revival of a TV classic. A snippet:
In this modern scenario, Chief of Staff Kelly acts as Ward Cleaver, giving Donald fatherly advice, which the president seemingly ignores. Can’t you just see General Kelly standing by the fireplace advising, “Now Donald, you know that tweet was mean-spirited and will just get you into more trouble.” Wally and Beaver would listen and learn; Eddie Haskell Trump just keeps doing it. He can’t help himself. He seems to need A LOT of attention.
Aside:
For all who yearn for that portrayal of 1950s America, remember, Barbara Billingsley was a working mother.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness takes practice.
The shots came from a .45-caliber gun being fired for target practice by two men, Ricardo Galvan and Christian Salcedo, about a third of a mile away, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
But because the two men had been taking turns firing the gun and could not see Ramdass, who was behind a vegetation-covered berm, detectives don’t know which one of them fired the fatal shot.
Once again, “criminal negligence” has been misplet “tragic accident,” as, in NRA Paradise, shooters are not responsible for their shots.
The Destroyer 0
Jay Bookman wonders what Trump wants to accomplish with health care. A snippet:
Trump has taken a hostage with no real idea of what ransom he wants in return. He has no policy goal that he wants to achieve; there is no “Trumpcare” that he is attempting to implement. For seven long years, the Republicans have been promising to repeal and replace Obamacare, while doing none of the hard, thoughtful work that creating a replacement would require. For more than two years now, Trump himself has been promising the American people that he would create a health-care system that would provide better insurance at lower cost to more people, yet he and his administration have offered up nothing in the form of a plan or a bill.
Follow the link for the rest.