I dreamed last night that I was in Portland with a dozen or so blog friends when The Big One hit. We had gone to the city searching for Covid-19 supplies, which was tough enough. But now we were trapped by Mother Nature — in a world where people had been ordered to fear and avoid each other. In a world where natural instincts to help had been crushed. For some reason, I had a large collection of books with me, which two of my friends quickly “borrowed” without permission. I knew they immagined my collection would be loaded with…
Category: Miscellaneous
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Publicly, the worst. Privately, sometimes the best. It was the time of Covid-19 and of goodness and nastiness. —– In a small dry-country town, a health club owner whose business was ordered closed for being “non-essential” during the pandemic panic checked with the sheriff: Could she conduct exercise classes outdoors, with small groups, everyone staying six feet apart? Yes. Midway through her first class, deputies of that very same sheriff arrive. A busybody has spotted the “deadly” and “illegal” activity and they’ve been dispatched to shut her down.…
Silver here. First Amendment badass Marc Randazza posted a tweet with a curious graph. He wrote: 1) I dont know if this is fake 2) If it is not fake, what does this tell us? It’s not a fake. I went to the CDC’s website and downloaded the same data, plotted it myself. (Edited to add: I revised the chart to try to make it more legible.) The traces for deaths attributed to pneumonia for the seven flu seasons (the CDC defines flu season as starting in week 40 each year) are straight from the CDC data. I added…
Silver here. Claire graciously grants me access to her blog. What an odd, contrived phrase is “Social Distancing.” PHYSICAL distancing may be helpful (solid information is extremely scarce these days) but why “Social” distancing? It’s almost as if those in power prefer that we remain isolated and afraid. Not everyone is buying it. Here’s a lovely post from someone who recognizes the power of words, and suggests a sensible and lovely alternative. Please spread this far and wide. This is an important message.
Boris Johnson’s monumental victory in Britain should remind U.S. Democrats of an important thing or two. Britain’s Labour Party “got woke and went broke” deserted en masse by working-class v*ters. Time magazine’s petulant brat of the year says up against the wall with leaders who don’t execute her climate agenda. Seeing like a finite state machine. Second amendment: Virginians stand their ground on sanctuary counties while the nation watches. Frightened, arrogant anti-gun pols threaten “consequences” — up to and including sending the National Guard in as an occupying force. The greatest political miracle? Trump has revamped the 9th circuit court.…
I’m back from a Thanksgiving break. I hope everybody had a filling and fulfilling holiday. Mine was quiet and uncomplicated, exactly the way I like it. Just some random thoughts … —– The Trump impeachment hearings have finally done for me what years of willpower and determination couldn’t do: They’ve made me lose all interest in politics. For years I’ve known intellectually (and have written) that political “news” is mostly a con and a diversion. For years I swore off news and politics (which are increasingly synonymous) and pledged to ignore them. But I was sucked in anyhow. Now? I’m…
He left England because his life depended upon getting real health care. The Brexiteers are whomping the Remainers. ‘Bout time, too. The FBI is looking into whether Epstein’s death was the result of a criminal conspiracy. But of course (announces the Bureau of Prisons director), there’s not a whisper of a hint of a reason to suspect that. You know, except for the odd little thing here and there. Maggie McNeill has a superb links roundup of news that affects sex workers. Not interested in sex workers’ rights? Much of what’s being done to them potentially affects us all. Pedophile…
Just peachy Well, what did you think of the now-ended impeachment hearings? Were they … Relevatory and persuasive? Dull as ditchwater? Shamelessly partisan? A waste of space in the universe? As gripping as Watergate at its best? Totally righteous? Totally self-righteous? Completely missing any impeachable offenses? (Except perhaps on the part of Joe Biden, who can’t be impeached because he’s not in office.) The silliest bunch of cooked-up factoids you ever did hear? Brilliant? Pure democracy in action? Or did you think of them at all? It was lovely to pay very little attention, although I did wonder if NPR…
I’m working on that promised blogosaurus. I really am. It’s about halfway done, but it keeps wanting to pull in a different direction than I want it to go. With luck, I’ll wrestle it into submission by early next week. In the meantime, here are some links to keep you entertained, charmed, baffled, ticked off, informed, or whatever the case may be. —– In the Land of Opportunity, the wealth of the richest 1% is about to outstrip the worth of the country’s entire middle class. Cheers. Florida gets its first Second Amendment sanctuary county. Today is the anniversary of…