“The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority”. - Stanley Milgram, "Obedience to Authority", 1974 A week ago, I received a death threat on Facebook. It was in response to a discussion about gun control, something that I strongly advocate. It was a display of male dominance that went like this: “Debby … [Read more...] about OBEDIENCE
Democratic bill attempts to undo voter restrictions of past 15 years
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and fellow Democrats address reporters on H.R. 1 at the Capitol in Washington on March 3, 2021. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photos Nicholas Espíritu, University of California, Los Angeles The recent national elections — conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — highlighted difficulties Americans face to … [Read more...] about Democratic bill attempts to undo voter restrictions of past 15 years
Satire: Short Takes
By Laurie Baron, Ph.D Bernie Madoff died in prison this week. In accordance with his will, his tombstone will be shaped like a pyramid. Matt Gaetz cancelled his appearance as a contestant on the Underage Bachelorette. The FDA and CDC ordered a temporary suspension in the use of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after six cases of a rare blood clotting disease … [Read more...] about Satire: Short Takes
Bush, in op-ed and book, steps into US migration debate
Washington (AFP) - Former president George W. Bush has stepped into the US debate on immigration, saying migrants are "a force for good" and arguing for a gradual process to allow undocumented immigrants to earn legal status. Bush, a past governor of Texas -- a border state heavily impacted by migration -- made his points in an op-ed article in the Washington Post previewing … [Read more...] about Bush, in op-ed and book, steps into US migration debate
Spin around Mars makes Ingenuity first craft to fly on another planet
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has completed a flight on Mars, becoming the first man-made craft to take to the sky on another planet, the US space agency said on Monday. The tiny helicopter, which weighs 1.8 kilograms and is powered by four lithium batteries, took off at about 6:34 am (1046 GMT) and flew about 3 metres into the air, briefly hovered in place for 30 seconds and … [Read more...] about Spin around Mars makes Ingenuity first craft to fly on another planet
A Sunday Evening Fluff Piece
While browsing through previous writings in preparation for my "Afghanistan: It’s Done. No More. 3.0," I came across a piece on military family separations. The article describes some of the sacrifices our military women and men make when they decide to serve their country: Not being there for the birth of your first child; missing out on your children’s birthdays, … [Read more...] about A Sunday Evening Fluff Piece
Sikhs in America: A religious community long misunderstood is mourning deaths in Indianapolis mass shooting
Members of the Sikh community in Indianapolis gather after a mass shooting in which eight people, including four Sikhs, died, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Simran Jeet Singh, Union Theological Seminary On April 16, 2021, a gunman opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis killing eight people and injuring several others before … [Read more...] about Sikhs in America: A religious community long misunderstood is mourning deaths in Indianapolis mass shooting
GUN CONTROL ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY RIGHT NOW (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Another day in America, another mass shooting. After a recent mass shooting when Democrats in the Senate said we need legislation to stop this insanity, and not JUST thoughts and prayers, Senator Ted Cruz, the most disingenuous sonofabitch who has ever hatched from an egg, was livid. How dare Democrats play “theatrics” by attacking thoughts and prayers and instead, … [Read more...] about GUN CONTROL ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY RIGHT NOW (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Poll: Most Americans want to end lifetime Supreme Court appointments but nix expanded court.
A new Ipsos/Reuters finds most Americans want Supreme Court reform--but not the kind many Democrats have in mind. They support term limits on Supreme Court justices, but not expansion of the court, a change advocated by many progressives. Reuters reports: A majority of Americans want to end lifetime appointments for U.S. Supreme Court justices, according to an Ipsos … [Read more...] about Poll: Most Americans want to end lifetime Supreme Court appointments but nix expanded court.
GOP Struggling To Harm Biden
Thus far, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has proven himself to be a competent, decent President of the USA. That fact has become a problem for people who are opposed to any Democrat occupying the Oval Office. Now, a 17 April 2021 article from The Hill elaborates as to why that is so. Regarding how to respond to that headline, I believe that Grumpy Cat said it best: If … [Read more...] about GOP Struggling To Harm Biden
Vaccination rates break down along party lines
21st century politics so far has been marked by mega-polarization and a Golden Age of Misinformation (and lies) for political gain. So this New York Times report is jarring - but not surprising. About 31 percent of adults in the United States have now been fully vaccinated. Scientists have estimated that 70 to 90 percent of the total population must acquire resistance … [Read more...] about Vaccination rates break down along party lines
Are mass shootings an American epidemic?
Police stand near the scene where multiple people were shot at the FedEx Ground facility on April 16, 2021, in Indianapolis. AP Photo/Michael Conroy Lacey Wallace, Penn State The U.S. has suffered yet another mass shooting, with a deadly attack in a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. This was the fifth mass shooting in five weeks, including a shooting at … [Read more...] about Are mass shootings an American epidemic?
COP OOPSIES (Cartoon, Column and Video)
In 2015 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white cop killed a 44-year-old unarmed black man by shooting him with his gun. The cop thought he was using his taser. The cop was 73 years old so he probably had some experience but you would think a rank amateur would be able to tell the difference between a Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum weighing about three pounds fully loaded and a Model X26 taser … [Read more...] about COP OOPSIES (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Editorial: The unbearable tragedy of Adam Toledo
Nothing we do or say or write or advocate will bring back Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old kid shot by a Chicago police officer on March 29. Our agony, our tears, our careful study of the videos released Thursday won’t bring him back. He is a boy running from police in the middle of the night, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and a baseball cap, his feet pounding the pavement as he … [Read more...] about Editorial: The unbearable tragedy of Adam Toledo
House Republicans who voted to back Trump’s false election claims lag in fundraising
By Jason Lange and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Republicans who supported former President Donald Trump's attempt to overturn his election defeat on average raised less in campaign funds in the first three months of the year than those who opposed it, federal records show. Sixty-five House Republicans who voted in January to accept election … [Read more...] about House Republicans who voted to back Trump’s false election claims lag in fundraising
Another US mass shooting leaves eight dead in Indianapolis
Indianapolis (AFP) - A gunman has killed at least eight people at a FedEx facility in the midwestern US city of Indianapolis before turning the gun on himself in the latest in a string of mass shootings in the country, authorities said Friday. The incident came a week after President Joe Biden branded US gun violence an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment" as he … [Read more...] about Another US mass shooting leaves eight dead in Indianapolis
… and the Oscar goes to … Are they kidding?
The 93rd Oscars ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 25 April 2021. That show's popularity with the general public has declined over the years in part because of a disconnect between what the Motion Picture Academy likes and what the public likes. This fact is reflected in a 29 February 2016 Fortune article titled "Why the Academy Keeps Giving Oscars to Movies No … [Read more...] about … and the Oscar goes to … Are they kidding?
Afghanistan: It’s Done. No More. 3.0 (UPDATE)
UPDATE: Many politicians, scholars, journalists (and pundits) have expressed their views on President Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. (and allied) troops from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Many are supportive of the decision and many are critical. This author’s views (below) are subjective, based on personal sentiments and experiences. There are, … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: It’s Done. No More. 3.0 (UPDATE)
The Loutish Lemmings of the GOP
Flailing into oblivion, the frat boy politics of the Republican party simply may end in its unseemly collapse – or national disaster. by Michael Winship Joe Biden is thinking about the complexities of racial and social justice in America, vaccinating the population against COVID-19, combatting domestic terrorism, rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, bringing back … [Read more...] about The Loutish Lemmings of the GOP
U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday imposed a broad array of sanctions on Russia to punish it for alleged interference in the U.S. election, cyber-hacking, bullying Ukraine and other "malign" acts. The measures blacklisted Russian companies, expelled Russian diplomats and placed limits on the Russian sovereign debt market. … [Read more...] about U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions