Extra-Special Bonus QOTD, Plus ca Change Dept. 0
John Viner, as narrator of The First World War: The War to End All Wars, at about the 16 minute mark of episode one (the paragraphing is my own, as closed captions are not, well, paragraphed):
. . . there was an ugly side to the popular zeal, a cruel xenophobia.
Hatred for Kaiser Bill the Bully was translated into outrage, as anyone with a foreign sounding name ran the gauntlet of looting mobs. The foreigner was the enemy. The role of propaganda as a weapon took on a focus and importance as never before. The development of the mass daily newspaper gave the propagandists a perfect vehicle to peddle their simplified, sensationalized, jingoistic, and rarely truthful message.
The image of the enemy as a monster was readily absorbed by a war thirsty public, while the idea of war as heroic and glorious was nurtured by economic (sic) use of the truth when it came to harsh realities.
And that was before “social” media, where lies are protected “free speech” and truth is libel.
The Crypto Con 0
Binance President pleads guilty to not preventing money laundering.
Precedented 0
Michael in Norfolk is not sanguine.
Here’s a bit from his post:
Follow the link for context.
Nor Any Drop To Drink 0
The Colorado Sun takes a deep dive into some shallow water–specifically how Lakes Powell and Mead, the two largest reservoirs west of the Rockies–are but a trickle of their former selves.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The hunt for politeness continues apace.
Republican Thought Police 0
Shorter Kirk Cameron: God forbids that students should be exposed to ideas.
Recommended Viewing 0
The Time-Life series, Lost Civilizations, narrated by Sam Waterston.
It’s available at tubitv.com (and possibly elsewhere for all I know).
The Crypto Con 0
Sam and the crew talk with Jacob Silverman about Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction for multiple financial crimes.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Another oxymoronic “responsible gun owner.” Another purse. Another gun.
As Victoria Hugo-Vidal pointed out (see the second post below), this is us.
A broken society.
Sheep’s Clothing . . . 0
. . . But Richard Barsanti sees through the disguise.









