Monthly Archives: February 2026

Peace President Trump’s New War

Posted on Saturday 28 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

So now Trump, the would-be-Nobel-Peace-Prize-winner, has started a war with Iran. All by himself, without congressional overview or approval. As someone on Facebook said, this isn’t how democracies start wars; it’s how dictators do. I’m going to try not to … Continue reading →

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Fearmongering and Gratuitous Cruelty

Posted on Friday 27 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Another take on the SOTU. NY Times, opinion by E.J. Dionne Jr., 27 Feb 2026: Why Trump’s Fearmongering Is Falling Flat With Voters President Trump did the nation a big favor in his State of the Union message: He brought … Continue reading →

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The MAHA Veil, Cruelty, and What Trump Supporters are Teaching their Children

Posted on Thursday 26 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last, 26 Feb 2026: Behind the MAHA Veil, subtitled “It’s not about transparency or choice. It’s not even about ‘natural health’ It’s about making everyone else take their quack cures.” The other day I mentioned in … Continue reading →

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SOTU last night

Posted on Wednesday 25 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Perspectives on last night’s State of the Union address; Followed by personal thoughts about ICE and why conservatives are only concerned about crimes committed by immigrants. – – – We saw only a bit of the SOTU address last night, … Continue reading →

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Rutger Bregman: HUMANKIND

Posted on Wednesday 25 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “A Hopeful History” (2019 Dutch; 2020 Little, Brown, xviii+461pp, including 64pp acknowledgements, notes, and index) Still catching up posting about big books I’ve read in recent years. This book came out in 2020 (in the US) and I blogged … Continue reading →

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Does ICE need to come and track you down?

Posted on Tuesday 24 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s all about whether humanity is stuck in tribalistic human nature, or whether, through principles, rules and laws, and agreed-upon values, we can transcend our base instincts. (And, perhaps, become a global civilization, and reach for the stars, as science … Continue reading →

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Competence vs. Competition

Posted on Monday 23 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

As I finish this post, let me see if I can squeeze this in. I’ve never been all that interested in sports, of any kind. I do watch the Olympics, to see performances of skill and beauty, but I don’t … Continue reading →

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Another Take on the Left/Right Divide

Posted on Sunday 22 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Busy day yesterday with events in the city. Stopped at Borderlands Books for the first time in years. Yes, they do carry the SF magazines, but not yet the Jan/Feb issues of Analog and Asimov’s, let alone Mar/Apr. \\\ Here’s … Continue reading →

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Whatever They Can Get Away With

Posted on Friday 20 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Short items today Trump’s move to demolish greenhouse gas standards is based on a (admittedly technical) lie; America is experiencing a tourism slump (because… one guess); About Trump’s “cartoonish” monuments to himself; How Trump makes his own voters suffer; How … Continue reading →

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Does Western Civilization Depend on Christian Monotheism?

Posted on Thursday 19 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Challenging David Brooks, the retiring NYT columnist, and his idea of building a humanist culture, from Bruce Ledewitz and Robert Reich; Brooks’ problem, claims Ledewitz, is that Brooks can’t let go of religion; “the past collapsed for a reason”; And … Continue reading →

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