Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
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Self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk bans (again) speech he doesn’t like.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
“Facts Are What People Think” 0
Daniel Graham, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks at why persons cling to beliefs even when they are demonstrably false. In this disinformation age, it is a valuable read. Here’s a bit:
The investigations that launched this line of inquiry found that people reported a larger crowd size at Donald Trump’s inauguration than at Obama’s, even when presented with unambiguous photographic evidence to the contrary. Studies of the inauguration photos both immediately after Trump’s inauguration by Schaffner and Luks (2018) and in a recent replication by Ross and Levy (2023) found that upwards of one of every nine “strong” Trump supporters reported a larger crowd size in Trump’s inauguration photo when presented his and Obama’s side by side.
Follow the link for the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Once again, politeness become child’s play.
Once again, we are reminded that “responsible gun owner” is a oxymoron.
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
So suggests the editorial board of the Newark Star-Ledger:
Follow the link for more.
A Tune for the Times 0
Warning: Short commercial between minute one and minute two.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. Inimical? Most Definitely. 0
Security maven Bruce Schneier takes a deep look at the hazard posed to elections by AI and those who would manipulate it.
No excerpt or summary would do his article justice. Just go read it.
Devolution 0
Michael in Norfolk offers a theory as to why the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Everett Dirksen, and Nelson Rockefeller turned into the party of Donald Trump, Tommy Tuberville, and Lauren Boebert.
Afterthought:
Unmentioned, but methinks just as important, is Richard Nixon’s decision to throw down the welcome mat to racists and bigots odious Southern Strategy.
The Sequel 0
At the Portland Press-Herald, David Nyberg suggests a title for J. D. Vance’s next book.
Blowing in the Wind, Reprise 0
PoliticalProf observes that Republicans seem to really want to do away with the federal government, except when they need it.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
But he was just backpacking his heat:
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.
The Perpetual Prejudice 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Allison Abrams takes a deep dive into the roots and fruits of antisemitism over the ages. She notes that
While antisemitism has worn many faces throughout history, its underlying characteristics of scapegoating, conspiracy, and dehumanization remain. Each era may bring new rhetoric and justifications, but the core narrative remains unchanged.
Now, it’s not my area of scholarship, but, I must say, I’m not sure that I agree with everything she says. Nevertheless, given events both domestic and foreign, I think the entire article is very much worth a read.
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy sings about Donald Trump’s grift for grab.
A. The “I Am an Inadequate Male” Pick-Up Truck 0
Q. What do you call a ginormous pick-up truck with dualie rear wheels that some dude buys so he can drive it to the 7-11?
A Notion of Immigrants 0
At the Hartford Courant, Robert Helfand argues forcefully that the coverage of J. D. Vance’s and Donald Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants is missing the point. Here’s how he opens his article (emphasis added); follow the link to read the rest.
Medicare Disadvantage 0
Thom reports that hospitals are increasingly frustrated at dealing with Medicare “Advantage” plans, because those “insurers” just don’t want to, well, pay for medical care, because actually paying for stuff cuts into their profits.
As far as I am concerned, Medicare “Advantage” was a con and scam from the git-go. It was created solely to allow private companies to get their paws on public money. When I qualified for Medicare (yeah, I’m old), I made sure to avoid Medicare “Advantage” for the same reason I don’t answer phone calls when the caller ID reads “Scam Likely.”
But that’s just me.
