When my parents were married in 1947, they were given a toaster as a wedding gift. When they moved out of my childhood home in perhaps 1995, I happened to notice that very appliance among their belongings.
Before the late 20th Century, it never occurred to build and sell something that was engineered to break and be thrown away, to be replaced by a new gadget whose life expectancy was even shorter. (more…)
How, precisely, has American political life changed over the past five years?
One of the most glaring differences is corruption in the U.S. federal government. Oh, it has existed, at least since before any one of us was born. But now it’s happening right in front of an international spotlight.
As discussed here, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginny are conducting themselves in a blatantly illegal manner, but they’re making no effort to hide their behavior whatsoever.
In particular, she is focusing enormous sums of money to promote far right-wing causes against what she refers to as the “fascist left.” Here we’re talking about all-out wars to ban abortion, affirmative action, and any form of gun control, each of which is represented by one or more legal cases that are coming before the SCOTUS.
It really can’t get any more in-your-face.
It’s funny how people, I’m talking about good and intelligent people, persist in coming up with analogies re: regulations that help us deal with COVID. The goal, of course, is to help selfish morons understand that their rights are limited by the fact that they live in an organized society.
The meme is a dandy, but I hope no one expects any change in behavior.
Re: the meme here, a reader asks: How do you convince Republicans that their children are being disenfranchised because their party wants to starve public education out for the sake of privatization?
You don’t. Two responses:
Wealthy Republicans understand that educated people tend not to vote Republican, especially in the deplorable condition in which it finds itself today, with all the lies, crime, and stupidity. For them, others’ ignorance translates directly into political success.
In general, the truly dug-in Trump base doesn’t put much value on education. A recent data analysis of the returns showed how the more college-educated white people there are in a given area, the better Biden did vs. Trump in 2020.
I’m trying to find something about this that I agree with, but I’m failing.
Rage accomplishes nothing but diminishing the quality of your life, and those around you. (more…)
What a fabulous point writer Sigrid Ellis makes here.
We love to be heroes, but we care very little about building a sustainable and compassionate world.
Adam Kinzinger is a rare bird.
Yet I would argue that the Republicans, at least since Eisenhower, have had no real interest in “helping the American people,” unless by that you mean “helping well-off white Christian Americans.”
In any case, Kinzinger’s position here is so radically different than the core of his party that calling him a “Republican” is a misnomer. His group needs a different name, perhaps “Retro-Republican.”
This sounds good on paper, but keep in mind three things:
1) There is a reason that manufacturing jobs have moved out of the U.S., and that’s money. Things like electronics and solar panels are not made here because they would be nowhere near cost-competitive. (more…)
How possible is this, given that we live in a country where half the country believes the Big Lie and rejects science?
Let’s recognize that the country was never truly homogeneous, but is there a path towards some workable level of living together amicably?
If there is, it begins with truth and justice surrounding the 2020 election. If the big boys can be held accountable, a great number of Trump’s present-day supporters will fold their tents and move on. The Republican party can nominate a garden-variety conservative who isn’t a sociopath, and perhaps the nation can go forward into a future that isn’t based on pure, hateful bull****.
Thanks to Bob Gorrell for the fantastic piece of art.
The idea that the U.S. Supreme Court justices are apolitical is a joke. Clarence Thomas’ wife Virginia is a vocal right-wing activist, who cheered on the January 6th insurrectionists, while claiming that America is in existential danger because of the “deep state” and the “fascist left,” which includes “transsexual fascists,” per the New Yorker.
Perhaps worse, “Behind closed doors, she’s working with many groups directly involved in controversial cases before the Court,” as reported here.
If a judge has somehow been assigned to hear a criminal case against one of his children, he recuses himself. Now, I understand that Thomas is a horrible person, and is not going to put limitations on his own power, but can’t we do something about this blatant corruption at the highest level of government?
