Meme-orializing Opinions
Every so often, an internet graphic of a political nature goes viral, and serves to propagate an opinion that many incorrectly present as "fact." One such, a graph that plots various news sources against two axes (journalistic quality/standards and partisan bias), has...
It’ll Be Us, Not The Robots
The comedian and television auteur Louis CK once observed that he didn't let his kids onto social media, because social media lacks the immediate feedback that personal interactions provide. A kid that hurts another's feelings face to face can instantly see that hurt...
School-Shaming Trump’s Cabinet
An article in the NY Daily News recently caught my eye. It notes that Trump's cabinet picks are, by and large, far less educated (per the author's measure) than the people they are replacing. Given the Daily News' rampant anti-Trumpism (google "Daily News Trump...
Who Will Stand Up For Young Muslim Women?
Two weeks ago, an 18 year old NY Muslim woman, Yasmin Seweid, reported being attacked by three drunks who called her a terrorist and tried to steal her hijab. Today, it turns out that she fabricated the story in order to cover for being out past curfew. She is now...
Climate Change and Unicorn Farts
Among the many incongruities found among global warming alarmists, there is perhaps none so stark as the opposition to nuclear power that many advocates for decarbonizing energy production embrace. On paper, nuclear power seems the ideal alternative to coal, oil and...
Gun Rights Lesson #378 – Muskets
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one of a series of articles on gun rights. Each addresses a common anti-gun trope. "The Second Amendment only protects muskets!" Yes, indeedy. The right to keep and bear muskets shall not be infringed. Aside from the fact that rifles did exist...
Trump Gets The Grab Bag
To contribute to the sea of Trump shock ink - and it depresses me to think there is more of it than epic poetry, the same way it's depressing that there are more Juggalos than polar bears - here is the libertarian takeaway: the anti-establishment aspect is the main...
Fake News and Critical Theory
Liberal journalist/blogger Matthew Yglesias jumped into the recent "fake news" fray with a tweet that blamed capitalism: Fake news is the natural manifestation of financial capitalism in the media industry. If he wrote "is a" instead of "is the," he'd be correct. Fake...
Memesplaining
This morning, one of my political friends shared a "meme" in a political group, and asked for comments about its validity, lack thereof, and so forth. It was an easy dissection, and far less interesting than the notion that combining a phrase, sentence or paragraph...
Talking Down To Peons
While we already have enough post-mortems of the Democratic Party's decimation to fill a ten gallon hat, a couple tidbits that I came across this morning suggested that there's always room for more. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest held a press briefing this...
Are You Really Concerned For Others… ?
Or Are You Just Showing Off? Donald Trump hasn't taken office yet. He hasn't taken any real policy actions yet, the Carrier dog-and-pony show notwithstanding. He is in the process of nominating his cabinet, but that cabinet has neither been confirmed nor have any of...
The Right To Think Wrong
Among the gazillion reasons and rationalizations put forth to explain Trump's improbable victory is the supposed proliferation of "fake news." If you spend any time on the Internet and social media, you're bound to come across sensational stories that will provoke...
Rerouting the Stream
In an election seemingly chock-full of paradigm shifts, one involving the press's traditional role as "gatekeepers" of information bears special attention. Traditionally, politicians pass information to the citizenry through the press. Since both the politicians and...
Gun Rights Lesson #339 – Trump Won!?
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one of a series of articles on gun rights. Each addresses a common anti-gun trope. "OMG, Trump Won! I'm buying a gun!" Since Trump's electoral victory, the more hysterical among his detractors have been voicing fears that America's going to turn...
Flagrant Fear and False Compassion
If you ask Democrats and liberals who are still in shock over the Trump victory about their feelings since November 8th, you'll find many who cite fear as their biggest emotion. Fear for the future of the country. Fear of losing so many of the gains their side has...
Gun Rights Lesson #488 – Mass Shootings
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one of a series of articles on gun rights. Each addresses a common anti-gun trope. "If carrying guns is such a good idea, why haven't any mass shootings been stopped by gun carriers?" They have. That you may not have heard of such occurrences...
Social Justice Through Poverty and Oppression
Fidel Castro died last week. Good riddance. While I'm normally loath to speak ill of the dead, there are justifiable exceptions. Castro, who killed tens of thousands of his people and kept millions in abject poverty while amassing a billion dollar personal fortune, is...
Noble Cause Corruption
Do the ends ever justify the means? Is it OK to lie to people in order to achieve an outcome you know is good? Most people would probably answer with "it depends." They'd be right. Police lie to suspected criminals. Parents lie to children. We lie to each other when...
Clinton’s Donors
The phrase "20/20 hindsight" is often used in a derogatory fashion to call out those who claim better insight into a matter simply because they get to view it after-the-fact. Sometimes, however, it takes retrospective clarity to open our eyes to something that should...
The Information Reformation
Donald Trump's reported dressing-down of an invited, closed-door gathering of the media elite has drawn the expected howls of outrage from the titans of the Fourth Estate. It has also served to illustrate the continuing disruption of the mainstream press's...
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