History will regard Jimmy Carter as one of the very best presidents the United States ever had–“best” perhaps not as it’s normally used, but in the sense of excellence of character.
It seems strange that his tenure in office and that of Donald Trump, one of the worst human beings in human history, were only 40 years apart.
Carter says it’s his faith that demands this level of virtue, but one gets the sense that he’d have a deep yearning to do good even without it.
From this article:
Sorry—am I missing something?
Did we or did we not all learn last Friday that the previous president of the United States of America, in his last weeks in office, tried to strong-arm the Justice Department to falsely declare that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, and even threatened to fire the acting attorney general if he didn’t?! Didn’t we read that a sitting president of the world’s greatest democracy told the nation’s top law enforcement official: “Just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the [Republican] Congressmen”? (more…)
We need to confront the fact that many Americans are so stupid and selfish that corralling the pandemic and its variants may take many years, if it’s possible at all.
The shot below features more than 385,000 largely unmasked young people at a music festival in Chicago last weekend.
Mad Magazine, a humor rag for young people, was published from 1952 until 2018, though its popularity hit its high-water mark in the mid-1970s, and was essentially unknown past 1990. The meme here is a play on the theme, which featured the fictional, gap-toothed nerd named Alfred E. Neumann, known for saying, “What, me worry?” (more…)
Who doesn’t wish he were in a position to do something akin to what this gentleman did?
As denizens of Earth, we can only hope that the wealthiest among us focus their immense power on addressing the existential threats that all of us face. There are, of course, ideas floated about re: taxing the rich, but even in the unlikely event they pass at some substantive level, it will be hard to deal with these issues without some level of voluntary contribution.
Which sounds better:
“I’m Jeff Bezos. I beat two other multi-billionaires in our efforts to be the first to fly rockets into space for the amusement of a few wealthy people.”
or
“I’m Jeff Bezos. I donated $150 billion to climate change mitigation, the technology developed from which saved humankind from annihilation.”
Apparently, he doesn’t think like I do.
What the meme here presents is true, but it’s not what Republicans say. They claim that education, as it exists in America today, includes a kind of brainwashing that produces liberals.
Looked at from their perspective, they’re right, in a way. High school graduates are likely to learn that human-caused climate change, the theory of evolution, the safety and efficacy of vaccinations, birth control as a means to reduce unwanted pregnancies, and many other points that divide the right from the left, are completely valid. They may even learn to think critically about the United States–its history, the reality of the 2020 election, and the nation’s role in today’s world.
Call me a socialist (or worse), but I’m OK with this.
This made me laugh.
Climate deniers and anti-vaxxers claim, as suggested in this ad from the mid-20th Century, that science isn’t always correct.
True without a doubt. In fact, when you think about it, it’s almost always incorrect. If we still have a civilization here in 100 years, almost none of what we currently believe about physics or medicine will be held as true. What we believed 500 years ago, in all scientific domains, has long since been completely replaced with our modern understanding. (more…)
It’s easy to understand this guy’s frustration.
My only comment is that market-based climate solutions do not necessarily have to be gradual.
Once carbon-based products become relatively expensive, they’ll disappear fairly quickly.
It’s no secret that the United States is struggling with its anti-vaxxers.
I would like to say that they’re actually delightful people, intelligent and compassionate, and that it’s a shame they’re so badly misinformed.
But I can’t.
Most of them appear similar in every way to this not-so-charming woman.
Pro golfer Abraham Ancer is tied for first place in the Saint Jude Invitational as I write this post. Hard to root for him given the name on his hat.
I’m willing to bet that, in 10 years, no one will even consider being sponsored by the fossil fuel industry.
