From Pine View Farm

Decoding de Code 0

PoliticalProf translates.

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Suffer the Children 0

Man holding assault rifle standing on hill labeled

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American Exceptionalism America’s Exception 0

Llewellyn King tries to understand (some) Americans’ fascination with portable phalluses. Here’s a bit from his article:

The blame rests primarily on something in American exceptionalism that loves guns. I mostly understand that; I like them, as I write from time to time. I also like fast cars, small airplanes, strong drinks and other hair-raising things. But society has said these need controls — from speed limits to flying instruction — and has severe penalties for mixing the first two with the last. Those controls make sense. We abide by them.

Regarding that other great national indulgence — guns — society has said safety doesn’t count.

I comment the entire piece to your attention.

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Indictment Daze 0

Newswoman:

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

He just had to show his politeness.

Yet more evidence that “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron, as if we needed it.

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QOTD 0

Howard Duff as Sam Spake and Lorene Tuttle as Effie:

Effie: Sam, why is the world so cruel?

Sam: Because people live in it.

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Masked Marauders 0

A caller tells Thom a tale of the Trumpling.

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The Rule of Lawless 0

The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini looks at how right-wing evangelical they-call-themselves Christians are reacting to the indictment of Donald Trump and concludes

Not only is the former president above our laws, he is also, apparently, above God’s. Which is odd, since that isn’t how evangelical pastors reacted to the wayward behavior of former President Bill Clinton.

Follow that link for context.

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A Picture Is Worth 0

Mqp showing life expectancy in U. S. by state.

Via PoliticalProf, who sees a pattern.

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Hoist on His Own Petard 0

Honest to Betsy (Pete’s on break), you can’t make this stuff up.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Police learned that the woman was in the home with her 11-year-old great-nephew. The boy showed her a gun and it went off, leaving the woman with a facial injury. The great-nephew left the home and police later found him in the 1800 block of East English, where he was taken into custody without incident.

Thus passeth another day in NRA Paradise.

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The News Cycle 0

Dog labelled

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A Taxing Issue 0

Oliver Wendel Holmes, Jr., once said, “I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” Methinks his point is well taken: roads don’t build themselves, teachers need to eat, fires don’t put themselves out, and tornadoes don’t warn you when conditions are just right for them tear down your house, just to pick a few examples out of the air.

At the Portland Press Herald, Victoria Hugo-Vidal offers some concrete examples, some from her personal experience, illustrating the validity of Holmes’s sentiment and suggests that

. . . if taxes are your biggest problem, you’re probably doing pretty well, all things considered – especially when it comes to income taxes.

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QOTD 0

Douglas Engelbart:

The key thing about all the world’s big problems is that they have to be dealt with collectively. If we don’t get collectively smarter, we’re doomed.

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Too Close for Comfort 0

I have been watching the Netflix “docuseries” Dirty Money. I recommended it once and I would recommend it again.

But I couldn’t bring myself to watch this episode.

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And Now for a Musical Interlude 0

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Facebook Frolics, Misty Water-Colored Memories Dept. 0

A frolicker describes what it was like to grow up side by side with other frolickers, but in a whole nother world.

Finish reading this post »

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Responsible Fiscals 0

A quote from Sam:

Stupid or evil? I’m not convinced it’s mutually exclusive.

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American Taliban 0

Two Taliban Militants looking at document labeled

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The Rule of Lawless 0

Susan Young, opinion editor of the Bangor Daily News, calls out the vacuous–nay, hypocritical and logic-free–rationale* of those Republicans who refuse to take action against the wave of gun violence. A snippet:

While many Americans, including the Bangor Daily News editorial board, have renewed their calls for tougher restrictions on guns and ammunition, those who oppose such moves are repeating the usual excuses for why such moves aren’t possible or won’t work.

“We’re not going to fix it,” Tennessee Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, said when asked about the shooting on Monday. “Criminals are going to be criminals.”

By that rationale, we shouldn’t have any laws at all.

____________________

*To refer to it with a common slang term of a scatological nature would be to insult bovines.

I grew up on a farm.

Bulls are smarter than this.

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From Pine View Farm
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