From Pine View Farm

“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Speaking of that daily oxymoron, “responsible gun owner” . . . .

Deputies with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said a 5-year-old child is dead and an adult female is in critical condition following their response to gunshots at an Inglis home Thursday night.

(snip)

The initial investigation determined two children were playing in a room.

One child accessed an unsecured firearm and the gun, a 9mm Glock, accidentally discharged.

The discharge in the hands of a five-year-old may indeed have been an accident on the part of said five-year-old, but placing the gun in the hands of said five-year old I would consider negligence.

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Establismentarians, Boebert Is the New Gohmert Dept. 0

At the Idaho State Journal, Nick Gier skewers Lauren Boebert’s fanciful and fabricated claim that the United States Constitution does not–er–establish separation of church and state. He reminds her that

No, Congresswoman Bobert (sic), our founders—conservative and liberal—were wise enough to reject the dangerous idea that your favorite pastor should direct the government.

Follow the link for the wealth of historical evidence that he musters.

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Oxymoron of the Day 0

No, not “responsible gun owner.” That’s an oxymoron every day.

The oxymoron of the day is Trump administration.

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QOTD 0

Sophocles:

A wise doctor does not mutter incantations over a sore that needs the knife.

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Devolution 0

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“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Michael in Norfolk hears a most distressing rhyme.

___________________

*Mark Twain.

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Echoes of Immorality 0

For some fool reason, this article seems to remind me of someone in the news.

I wonder just who it could be?

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It’s Simple, Really 0

PoliticalProf explains it all.*

________________

*With apologies to Clarissa.

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Still Rising Again after All These Years 0

Donald Trump stands in front of the Declaration of Independence saying,

Click for the original image.

America’s original sin of chattel slavery continues to take its toll.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Those oxymoronic “responsible gun owners” just can’t stop playing with their portable phalluses, can they?

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The Shell Game 0

Poached eggs.

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QOTD 0

Groucho Marx:

I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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True Believers 0

PoliticalProf.

Afterthought:

But don’t you dare call them “cultists.”

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“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Writing at the Portland Press Herald, Peter Pressman and Edward A. McCulloch tell of a rhyme they are hearing. A snippet (emphasis added); follow the link for further reverberations.

Gleichschaltung was the process of the Nazi Party taking control over all aspects of pre-WWII Germany, initiated some 92 years ago.

The Nazis started with the Civil Service . . . .

____________________

*Mark Twain.

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

Seductively manipulative? Darn tootin.

That’s why Bruce Schneier favors truth in packaging:

A person can be a friend. An AI cannot be a friend, despite how people might treat it or react to it. AI is at best a tool, and at worst a means of manipulation. Humans need to know whether we’re talking with a living, breathing person or a robot with an agenda set by the person who controls it. That’s why robots should sound like robots.

Follow the link for his reasoning.

(Slightly edited for more snark 2025-02-05 14:17 EST.)

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The Unelected Co-Conspirator, Reprise 0

Thom Hartmann talks with Representative Mark Pocan about possible motivations for Elon Musk’s recent DOGEy actions.

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The Unelected Co-Conspirator 0

Elon Musk scissors the Consititution of shreds while saying,

Click to view the original image.

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Republican Family Values 0

Psychotherapist Kaytee Gillis offers yet more evidence that mean for the sake of mean is a Republican family value . . . .

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QOTD 0

Ken Burns:

Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.

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