As Reich points out here, we live in horrible times in terms of abandoning rule of law.
Anyone who’s wondering what early 20th Century Germany and Italy were like leading up to the onset of fascism need only look around at the present-day United States.
The meme here speaks precisely to how absurd this issue of presidential immunity is.
I could ask any kid in the local high school what the American Revolution was about, and get correct answers like:
“We didn’t want a king. We wanted to elect someone who is accountable to the law and to the people.”
When you consider Trump’s position on matters like those at left, you have to ask yourself: What percentage of Americans are turned on by hate and stupidity like this?
If anyone else wanted to become the first U.S. dictator, he would do it …..slowly…..and….quietly. Not Trump.
Maybe the generalissimo understands that only about 25% of American voters support fascist platforms like these but hopes that many more will cast their ballots for him because he’s not Biden. Who knows?
This is a monumental fail. Thank God.
Re: the meme here, a reader notes:
Modern science is religion. If you know what the scientific method entails and how the method is used, you will be able to call out the scammers. Since the 30s science has died. It is sad, what people call science now days. Science is a word that automatically adds credibility, while completely staying away from real science.
Thanks for this. I’ll try to remember to pass this along to my friends in the biologic and physical sciences, who represent a tiny fraction of the many millions of those who are working feverishly around the globe to make our lives longer, healthier, better informed, and more productive.
Sorry for the sarcasm, but I get this constantly, given that I interview climate scientists and report on their work. It never ceases to amaze me how people with no training in a subject are so harshly critical of our most distinguished intellects. This is what Arthur C. Clarke referred to as the American “cult of ignorance.”
I very seldom write posts about matters of pop philosophy like this one; I can only say that there was something here that spoke to me.
I’ve been too quick to point out the stupidity of other people in my life, but what have I accomplished?
I’ve been criticized for my mediocre talents at the piano, but, now that I’ve quit, did anyone win that war?
Maybe it’s best to celebrate the goodness in others, and keep one’s criticism to oneself.
Two comments on the meme here:
a) It’s next to impossible to know whether or not 1970s rocker Alice Cooper actually said this. Today, it’s common for the MAGA crowd to fabricate stories about celebrities who are known to be kind and thoughtful people who, for instance, “refuse to work with Disney because the organization is ‘woke.'” Idiots believe this, and we live among them. It’s pathetic, but true.
b) Fortunately for us all, we Americans enjoy the protection of most (but not all) forms of speech under the First Amendment to our constitution. Yes, there are people who, erroneously, believe that Trump’s inciting the January 6th insurrection or lying about the honor of the judges presiding over his prosecution of the 88 felonies he is alleged to have committed are similarly protected.
But here, we have popular people who simply want to express their views. These people include billionaires, star athletes, actors, and musicians. If you have a problem with that, you really have no idea what First Amendment means.
Two old friends are having a discussion about Benjamin Netanyahu and his level of intelligence; one says he’s “stupid,” and the other disagrees.
Now, I don’t follow Israeli politics as closely as either of these two, but here’s my take on the matter: Insofar as he’s a demagogue, and an extremely effective one at that, we need to grant that he possesses intelligence along a certain dimension that is sufficient to enable him to figure out, with fabulous precision, how to address his audience and control their behavior at the polls.
It’s unclear if he’s capable of solving differential equations, speaking half a dozen languages, or following the advancements in particle physics, but that’s completely irrelevant. The only matter at play here is his love of power, and his capacity to manipulate “common” people, using rhetoric to stir up the passions of the masses so as to push him into power and keep him there.
Reader Drew Douthit adds this clarification to my post on the drawing here: “Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Basic Physics”
I don’t believe this claim about the cause of atheism.
True, hypocritical Christians are a huge turn-off to most of the world’s population; this has been the case for centuries.
But most atheists make their choices based on their perception that science and reason form a stronger belief system than faith in an invisible friend in the sky.
In response to what Neil deGrasse Tyson says here, all I can say is, “I hope so, but I don’t see too much evidence that this is where we’re going.”
How much science and other forms of clear-headedness are we applying to ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and elsewhere around the world? To climate change mitigation? To preventing the death of U.S. democracy? To optimizing our approach at the southern border?
