Originalist Sin 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of the Baton Rouge Advocate points out the flawed reasoning and willful misinterpretation of the historical record by the Originalists.
It Can’t Happen Here? 0
University of Arizona professor Stuart Brody recently visited Auschwitz and his experience left him with a wonder:
Follow the link for his story of the visit.
Establishmentarians 0
They pop up where you might least expect them.
Republican Family Values, “Red Meat for Rednecks” Dept. 0
Some persons are just not happy unless they are hating.
Woke Up! 0
At the Idaho State Journal, retired professor Nick Gier argues forcefully that “woke” is good. A snippet:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
“It’s the Best Catch There Is” 0
At the Hartford Courant, Connecticut Congressman John Larson takes a look at the damage that the Senate’s devotion to the filibuster, an arcane ritual rooted in attempts to protect slavery and, later, segregation, is doing to the welfare of the nation.
His piece is worth read; here’s a bit:
If you want to know why things are not getting done in Washington, you need look no further than this unconstitutional rule allowing a minority of senators to block the people’s will.
History Is What Happened 0
It is not what persons want to believe happened.
As long as white Americans continue to willfully blind themselves to the facts of America’s original sin of chattel slavery, America will (continue to) live a lie and be vulnerable to that lie.
And I say that as a white guy who numbers among his ancestors persons who held slaves, as the saying went, including the man who signed John Brown’s death warrant at Harper’s Ferry.
That was not me and I am not them.
I’ve mentioned before how Second Son brought that home to me when we visited Harper’s Ferry and saw a wax figure of said ancestor, signing said death warrant, in a display there. Second Son said, “So, he was on the wrong side.”
And he was.
I already knew that, but, as I said, that comment brought it home.
“Donald Trump in the Dining Room with the Television” 0
In a related piece at The Japan Times, Minxin Pei points out that, in the United States, the call is coming from inside the house.
Aside:
One of the underlying assumptions, or, perhaps, it would be better to say “acts of faith,” of the Founders was that citizens, however much they might disagree on policy, would act in good faith.
They did not envision political parties, though parties appeared shortly later, much less a party dedicated to acting in bad faith whenever possible.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Assaulted by an errant spritz of windshield washer fluid, a responsible gun owner responds with politeness.
We are a failing state.
“It Must Be True. A Friend Shared It on Fakebook.” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Craig Harper explores why we fall for fake news and what we can do to avoid doing so. A snippet:
Follow the link for a few suggestions as to not fall down the many rabbit holes that surround us, especially on “social” media.
Culture
0
Stuart N. Brotman argues that there’s nothing new about “cancel culture.” Here’s a little bit from his article:
I think that an important distinction is often missing from the discussion of “cancel culture” and those who defend themselves by claiming that (any) criticism of their actions is an attempt to “cancel” them.
It is one thing to defend oneself by claiming that one is being “canceled” if one is being criticized for something that some faction finds in bad taste or offensive, as was the case with many of the examples cited by Brotman.
It’s quite another to defend oneself by claiming that one is being “canceled” if one is being criticized for fomenting antisocial or criminal behavior, such as, for example, just to pick one, storming the Capitol and overthrowing the results of a lawful election.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The AAA issues guidelines on how to avoid the proliferation of random acts of politeness on automotive arteries.
Aside:
I must say, events demonstrate daily that the National Riflemakers Association has a rather odd definition of what means this word, “polite.”
