As suggested below, the burning of books has been a significant part of human history, but I struggle to recall a time in which it worked out for the best.
In all fairness, the mob in Tennessee burned their books, e.g., Harry Potter and Twilight because their pastor deemed them demonic.
The more common reason for incineration, of course, is the attempt to stamp out ideas that might run counter to the aims of a rising fascist.
Kids dead? Regrettable, but overall, not a problem.
Kids ignorant? Perfect.
Anything’s OK, really, except kids capable of critical thinking and compassion for others who may not look like them.
Guess how many of the young people shown here believe that Trump won the 2020 election, and believe children should be separated from their parents at the southern border.
As Aristotle taught us, these accounts can’t both be true. It makes one wonder: Who’s lying?
Here’s a hint, provided by a reader: The owner of the franchise is an animal killer. Kills elephants & other trophy animals for fun. He’s a first class dirtbag. Haven’t had a jj’s for years because I’ve boycotted him. He’s a menace to society & the animal world.
Here’s a grim reminder of how lost we are in present-day America. Almost half our country supports the most egregious liar/conman ever known to humankind.
I really don’t know what the big deal is about preventing Trump from running for office again. People assert, correctly, that the 14th Amendment bars traitors from office. Before electrocution came into fashion in the 1890s, they would be summarily hanged; now they get long prison sentences. In any case, they’re not getting anywhere near public office.
Even if Trump goes down on a lesser charge, regardless of what it is, his political career is done. We simply need to move this along.
When Mike Pence is a voice of fairness, wisdom, and honesty, you know you have a uniquely screwed up scene on your hands.
In my piece Accessing Banned Books — Now!, I noted that sales of banned books are going through the roof.
At left we see a related phenomenon–book clubs.
As they say, there is no more effective way to create demand for something than to ban it, and that probably goes double when it applies to young people.
I agree that there is an “unbroken thread.”
While we’ll never know, I theorize that we were just about to break that thread until social media came along. If white supremacists had not been able to connect with one another so easily and in such great numbers, it’s possible that our society would have continued to marginalize these morons.
We also wouldn’t have had Trump, a president who got where he was by fanning those flames of hate.
Again, we’ll never know.
As shown here, (ex) presidents like Trump are great for comedians, and they’re a boon to graphic artists as well.
On a serious note, the United States is experiencing an epic breakdown when it comes to discerning truth from utter bull****.
Just a few years ago, the idea that an international “plandemic” could have been carefully orchestrated by the governments of 200+ sovereign nations around the globe would have caused a laugh. Same for the notion that hundreds of previously upstanding election officials in states all around the country would have conspired to steal the election from the honest incumbent who was effectively Making American Great Again, Donald Trump.
Here’s a fabulously passionate article on climate change journalism.
It’s written by veteran reporter Sammy Roth, the Los Angeles Times energy correspondent, who also writes the weekly Boiling Point newsletter and previously reported on energy for the Desert Sun and USA Today.
IMO, it’s a deeply moving piece of writing. And, as noted above, Bill McKibben loved it.
